The One Pillar Pagoda continues to attract a great number of devotees as well as tourists each year. It is believed that prayer at this pagoda will cause prosperity and good will to befall the devotee.
Emperor Ly Thai To of Vietnam who was getting on years and still had no child and therefore no heir, dreamt of the Avalokitheshwara Bodhisathva or Quan Am as is referred to in Vietnam. In this dream Quan Am who was seated on an open lotus handed the Emperor a baby boy. Soon after, the Queen gave birth to a son and the Emperor in his gratitude ordered the One Pillar Pagoda to be built in 1049 in what was then the Tay Cam Gardens.
This pagoda is built to resemble the lotus flower of the Emperor’s dream and therefore the wooden lotus flower shaped structure is centered on a stone pillar rising out of the water of a pond. A stone staircase leads to the shrine within the Pagoda in which a statue of Quan Am resides.
Each year royal ceremonies and Buddha bathing ceremonies were held during the Vesak period. To Buddhists, the lotus depicts purity as the beautiful flower rises out of the muddy waters in order to blossom.
The colonial powers and other changes ravaged upon Vietnam and the city which is now Hanoi, caused the pagoda to be destroyed. However it was rebuilt on a pillar of concrete and the structure today is to a great extent similar to what once was.
The architecture used in the construction of this unique pagoda is astounding and depicts true Vietnamese culture and history.
Situated behind the Ho Chi Minh Museum, the one pillar pagoda and its surrounding history is a great attraction for all those who visit the city. If you are travelling here in the near future and are on the lookout for accommodation in Hanoi Vietnam then consider the luxury of staying in serviced accommodation Hanoi. This type of accommodation option gives you the very best of hotel stay coupled with privacy and home like comfort. The Somerset West Lake Hanoi, if so is a great option.
Thanuja Silva is a travel writer who writes under the pen name Auburn Silver. She has a passion for fashion and a deep interest in admiring new and exotic attractions around the world. Google+