Hue : Pagoda & Church
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Thien Mu Pagoda
The Thien Mu Pagoda (also known as Linh Mu Pagoda), built on a hillock overlooking the Perfume River, is one of the most famous s tructures in the whole of Vietnam. The ex.sling 2 1m-h ig h octagonal tower, the seven storey Thap Phuoc Duyen, was constructed under the reign of Emperor Thieu Tri in 1844 and has now become the unofficial symbol of the city of Hue. Each of the seven storeys is dedicated to a manushi-buddba. (Also see the Thien Mu Pagoda boxed text later in this section).
Thien Mu Pagoda was ori ginally founded in 1601 by the Nguyen lord Nguyen Hoang, governor of Thuan Hoa Pr ovince. According to legend, a Fairy Woman (Thien Mu) appeared and told the people that a lord would come to build a pagoda for the country's prosperity. On hearing that, Nguyen Hoang ordered a pagoda t o be constructed here. Over the centuries, the pagoda's buildings have been destroyed and rebuilt several times.
To the right of the tower is a pavilion containing a stele dating from 1 715. It is set on the back of a m assive marble tur tle, a sym bol of longevity. To th e lef t of th e lower is ano ther six sided pavilion, this one sheltering an enormous bell, Dai Hong Clu ing, which w as cast in 17 10 and w ei ghs 2052k g;
it is s aid lo be audibl e 10km aw ay. In th e mai n sanctuary, in a case behind the bronze laughing Buddha, are three s tatues: A Di D o, The Buddha of the Past; Thic k Ca, the historical Buddha (Sakyamuni); and Di imc Buddha, the Buddha of the Future.
Thien Mu Pagoda is on the banks of the Perfume River 4km sou th-west of the Cit ad el. To get th ere, head sou th-wes t (p ar all el to the river) on 0 Tran Hung Dao, which turns into D Le Duan after Phu Xuan Brid ge. Cross the railway tracks and keep going on D kim Long. Thien Mu Pagoda can also be reached by rowing boat. Entry is free.
The Thien Mu Pagoda just outs id e Hue was a hotbed of anti-government protest during the early 1960s. Surprisingly , it also became a focus of protest in the 1980s when someone was murdered near the pagoda and anti-Communist demonstrations started here, closing traffic around Phu Xuan Bridge. Monks were arrested and accused of disturbing the traffic and public order. Things have caimed down and a small group of monks, novices and nuns now live at the pagoda.
Behind the main sanctuary of the Thien Mu Pagoda is the Austin motorcar which transported the monk Thich Quang Du e to the s ite of his 1963 self-immolation.
Thich Quang Du e travelled to Saigon and publicly burned himself to death to protest the policies of President Ngo Dinh Diem. A famous photograph of his act was printed on the front pages of newspapers around the world. His death soon inspired a number of other self-immolations.
Many westerners were shocked less by the suicides than by the reaction of Tran Le Xuan (Madame Nhu, the president's notoriou s sister-in-law), who happily proclaimed the self-immo lations a 'barbecue party ' and said, 'Let them burn and we shall clap our hands'. Her statements greatly added to the already substantial public disgust with Diem's regime; the US press labelled Madame Nhu the 'Iron Butterfly " and 'Dragon Lady '. In November, both President Diem and h is brother Ngo Dinh Nhu (Madame Nhu's husband) were assassin ated by Diem's own m ilitary Madame Nhu was outside the country at the time.
A memorial to Thich Quan,; Du e (Dai Ky Niem Thuong Toa Thich Quang Du e) can be found at the in tersection of D Nguyen Dinh Chieu and D Cach Mang Thang Ta rn, around the corner from the Xa Loi Pagoda, in Ho Chi Minh City.
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