Thien Mu Pagoda Hue

Thien Mu Pagoda Hue

Lord Nguyen Hoang, the ancestor of the Nguyen dynasty, erected this Buddhist monastery in 1601. Thien Mu Pagoda, Hue was renovated in 1844 under King ThieuTri's sovereignty. As the legend has it, the people around the area used to see a vision of an old lady sitting on this small hill. The old lady dressed in a red long dress and green trousers claimed that this place belonged to the supernatural power, and that some day a great leader would build a pagoda at this site to bring peace to the country. After saying that, the lady disappeared in the cloud. As the story of this heavenly lady traveled, Lord Nguyen Hoang upon hearing the story, ordered the construction of the pagoda here in 1601 and named it Chua Thien Mu - Heavenly Lady Pagoda.

The Thien Mu Pagoda, Hue is also known as the pagoda of the old celestial goddess. The phrase 'Thein Mu' translates to mean a fairy woman. The pagoda overlooks the southwest bank of the Perfume River and panoramic views beyond. Although, the 21-meter tall tower is the centerpiece of the temple, a 2000-kilogram bell cast in 1710 and a stele from 1715 displayed in the temple are other prime attractions of the temple.

The Thien Mu Pagoda or the Heavenly Lady pagoda has two sections. The front of the Pagoda houses the Phuoc Duyen tower, visible from various points in the city and can be accessed from the Perfume River. The 2000-kilogram bell cast in 1710 is also present in this area of the temple along with the tortoise bearing a great stele carved in 1715.

The other section of the pagoda is its rear portion, which houses the main hall where Buddha is enshrined. It is in this area that the monks of the temple live and practice Buddhism. The Pagoda was the center of Buddhism in central Vietnam. In 1963, in an act of defiance against the Diem regime, Thich Quang Duc torched himself in downtown Saigon. Today, the pagoda visitors can see the car that took him to Saigon kept in the rear of Thien Mu Pagoda.

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