As a national historical relic in 1993, Ong Pagoda in Can Tho city is a place that attracts many tourists to worship and visit.
Ong Pagoda is in Can Tho, located at 32 Hai Ba Trung Street, Tan An Ward, Ninh Kieu District, Can Tho City. According to existing woodcarving documents, Ong Pagoda was completed in 1896, on an area of 532m2. Just entering the gate, is the alphabet “Quang Trieu Hoi Quan”.
The project was founded by a group of Chinese people from Guangzhou and Trieu Khanh, so it was named “Quang Trieu Hoi Quan”, a place to worship, exchange, meet fellow countrymen, help each other do business to settle down and settle down in the region. new land.
This is a rare temple of Can Tho in particular and the whole country in general that still retains the ancient status quo and architectural art values with typical religious meanings since its construction until now, despite many years of war. wars, especially the two resistance wars against France and America.
The temple has an architectural layout in the shape of the letter Quoc, roofed with yin and yang tiles. The ends of the trusses and crosses are carved with classical-style patterns and painted in gold according to the tradition of temple dance. The roof ledges are glazed with blue glazed glazed glazed with moss, creating an ancient look. Besides the dragon and phoenix symbols, there is also a statue of Ong Nhat Ba Nguyet, an auspicious omen, symbolizing yin and yang in Asian culture.
Talking about the name Ong Pagoda, people here are used to calling it because in the temple, right at the main shrine of Quan Thanh De Quan, ie Quan Cong. Some people are used to calling it Ba Pagoda because this place also worships Thien Hau Thanh Mau, Buddha Ba Quan The Am, two Buddhas who save suffering and rescue in the mind of the Chinese people.
When visiting Ong Pagoda, you will be attracted by the reliefs, occupying an extremely important position in the decoration. Here, decorative reliefs are everywhere on the diaphragms, envelopes, crossbeams, parallels, excellent embossed art with extremely rich content extracted from Chinese historical and historical sites, such as: Tam Quoc chi, Bat Tien, … In addition, the technique of submerging is also extremely skillful, shown in conventional topics: apricot, orchid, chrysanthemum, bamboo, fish transformed into a fairy, two dragons adoring moon, and phoenix birds. …
In addition to worshiping Quan Cong, a symbol of integrity and courage of the Chinese, Ong Pagoda also worships bodhisattvas and gods such as Thien Hau Thanh Mau – this is the god who supports the Chinese when migrating at sea. Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva – the Buddha who saves suffering and gives children, Ong Ban – the god who governs land, wealth, wealth, happiness,…
At Ong Pagoda, there are also many days of worship, indigenous people and tourists from all over the world flock to Can Tho to attend the Buddha worshiping ceremony. People will buy gifts to bring to the temple such as pigs, chickens, roast ducks, incense sticks, etc. Depending on the Buddha, there will be different offerings. Buddha and Lady Thien Hau will offer a roasted pig with red paint, Quan Cong will offer vegetarian food with incense, Ong Ban will be a live pig, etc. In particular, his temple also has a lamp match ceremony held every 10 years with the concept Whoever owns the lantern will have good luck and success.
The 24th day of the 6th lunar month every year is Quan Cong’s day with offerings of vegetarian dishes and fruits, incense and lamps. The right side worships Thien Hau, a saintly figure ordained in the Song dynasty, revered by the Chinese as a guardian deity for seafarers, and a protector for exiled travelers. Ong Temple worships Ba with an offering of red painted pig on the 23rd day of the third lunar month.
On the left side of the main hall, there is a special figure worshiping Dong Vinh Trang Nguyen, a scholar of the Later Han dynasty named in the book “Nuixty four filial piety”, whose filial piety touched the hearts of the heavens, and later passed the mark. become famous. Next to it is the altar of Tai Bach Tinh Quan, known as Than Tai, the god that merchants and business people expect to knock on the door. The ceremony of the “Tai Bach Tinh Quan” is held on the 22nd day of the 7th lunar month every year.
