Photo Gallery
One Pillar Pagoda (originally 1049, last reconstructed 1955)
The One Pillar Pagoda is an architectural gem unique to Vietnam. Tradition says that it was first constructed in 1049 during the early Ly dynasty. Legend has it that King Ly Thai To dreamed of the goddess Quan Am sitting on a lotus leaf and offering him a son. Struck by the dream, the Emperor married a peasant girl who soon provided him with a male heir. In gratitude, the king built this pagoda to honor the goddess. Some have said that the pagoda resembles a lotus climbing out of the water.
The pagoda was destroyed a number of times over the centuries, most recently in 1954 during the French Colonial retreat, but was reconstructed in its present form in 1955 with a concrete pillar.
Location
The approximate location of the pagoda is 21.035834' N, 105.833664' E (WGS 84 map datum).
Bibliography:
All images copyright 2005 Timothy M. Ciccone. Photographed in late November, 2005.
Bezacier, L. Relevés de Monuments Anciens Du Nord Viet-Nam
Ecole Francaise D'extreme Orient, 1958. Paris
Buckley, Michael. Moon Travel Guides: Vietnam Cambodia and Laos Handbook, 2nd Edition
Moon Publications, Inc., 1997. China
Cohen, Barbara. The Vietnam Guidebook
Harper and Row Publishers, Inc., 1990. New York
Florence, Mason & Storey, Robert.
Lonely Planet Publications, 1999. Melbourne
Nguyen, Ba Dang
Gioi Publishers, 2004. Hanoi
West, Helen
APA Publications (HK) Ltd., 1991. Sinapore
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