Trấn Quốc Pagoda, Buddhist temple on West Lake island, Vietnam
Trấn Quốc Pagoda is a Buddhist temple on an artificial island in Hanoi's West Lake in Vietnam. The eleven-tier stone tower in red brick stands at the center of the grounds, surrounded by prayer halls with curved roofs and dragon ornaments.
The temple was founded in 544 under Emperor Ly Nam De on the banks of the Red River. In 1615, monks moved the entire complex to its current location on an island in West Lake.
The n am e means ' P ag od a o f Nation al D efen se', r efl ecti ng i t s r ol e a s a sp ir it ua l g ua rd i an for th e cit y. Wo rshi ppe rs bri ng in ce ns e an d flow ers, esp ec ia ll y dur in g l un ar fest iv al s wh en th e cou rt ya rd fi ll s wi th l oc al fa mi li es.
The grounds open daily from seven thirty in the morning until six in the evening, with longer hours during religious festivals. A narrow causeway leads from the shore to the entrance, reachable on foot or by bicycle along the lakeside promenade.
A Bodhi tree in the courtyard descends directly from the sacred tree in Bodh Gaya in India, gifted by Indian President Rajendra Prasad in 1959. The tree grows beside a collection of ancient steles inscribed with texts from different dynasties.
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