On the occasion of the Lunar New Year, thousands of tourists and Buddhists from all over the world come to Khai Nguyen Pagoda (Hanoi) to worship and admire the scenery.

Khai Nguyen Pagoda (also known as Co Lieu Tu) is located in Tay Ninh village (Son Dong commune, Son Tay town, Hanoi). In the early days of the new year, this place attracts thousands of Buddhists and tourists to visit and worship. The 72m high Buddha statue at the temple is considered the largest scale statue in Southeast Asia up to now.

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The flow of people poured into the central area of ​​​​the temple. According to Sister Thich Anh Nghiem, a representative of the communication department of Khai Nguyen Pagoda, in the first days of the new year, the temple welcomes about 1-1.5 thousand visitors a day on average. Located about 40km from the center of Hanoi, Khai Nguyen Pagoda dates from the Ly Dynasty, the first half of the 11th century. In 2003, with the consent of the people and authorities at all levels, Venerable Thich Dao Thinh took care of and since then repaired, renovated and rebuilt Khai Nguyen Pagoda to meet the needs of monks and nuns. as well as Buddhist followers and tourists from all over the world. Although it has undergone a number of major restorations, the pagoda still retains its unique old architecture, bringing many historical values. In early 2015, Khai Nguyen Pagoda started construction of the Great Amitabha Buddha statue to pray for national peace and world peace. The Buddha statue is about 72m high, has 13 floors, of which 12 floors are used for visitors to worship Bodhisattvas and a negative floor is arranged according to the Buddhist view with the six paths of reincarnation… Each floor is decorated with its own style of worship. Entering the first floor of the Great Statue is the place where the great Patriarchs are located. The 2nd floor of the Great Buddha is located and worships 33 incarnations of Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara. The third floor is worshiped Dai Nhat Tathagata and the Five Phuong Buddhas. The 4th floor is dedicated to the Medicine Buddha with a wish for peace, happiness, longevity… The highlight is located on the 12th floor, where the heart of Amitabha Buddha is located and worshiped, carved with solid Canadian Nephrite jade, weighing more than one ton. Many visitors do not mind the hard work, go hundreds of stairs, through 12 floors to come here to worship.
During the Lunar New Year, the pagoda organizes a flower festival to create a dignified and colorful spiritual space to welcome tourists and Buddhists to worship Buddha and pray for a peaceful and happy new year. The festival begins on the 4th day of the Lunar New Year and is maintained until the end of the first lunar month. At the temple grounds, there is a large aquarium for visitors to visit. Thousands of vehicles poured into the temple’s parking lot. Here, visitors can park their cars completely free of charge. The security team consists of many Buddhists participating in traffic coordination, directions…

According(Dan Tri)