One Pillar Pagoda

The One Pillar Pagoda is a Buddhist temple in the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum complex nearBa Dinh SquareinHanoi. Now the pagoda has become one of the most meaningful symbols and a popular tourist attraction among a number of beauty-spots in the capital city.

Rising from one pillar in the centre of an elegantly square shaped lotus pond, the One Pillar Pagoda is said to represent a lotus flower growing up out of the water. According to legend, Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, who was seen by the childless Emperor Ly Thai To in a dream, sat on a lotus flower and handed the latter a baby boy. Afterwards, the Emperor married a peasant girl, who bore him a son. Overjoyed by his good fortune, the Emperor ordered the construction of the One Pillar Pagoda in 1049.

The little pagoda was constructed from wood based on a single stone pillar crafted into the shape of a lotus blossom. Throughout the Ly Dynasty in Vietnamese history, the Emperor Ly Thai To would come to the One Pillar Pagoda on Vesak, or the birthday of the Buddha, and bathe a representation of the Buddha in the presence of his monks. With time’s ashes and dust, the pagoda has been rebuilt several times. Today, the concrete pillar that supports the tiny wooden pagoda is a replacement for the original one which was destroyed by departing foreign governor.