Cổ Thạch Pagoda (also known as Cổ Thạch Stone Pagoda or Hang Pagoda) is a Buddhist temple located in Liên Hương Commune, Lâm Đồng Province, Vietnam.
Geography
The pagoda is located in the Cổ Thạch beach area. It is both a pilgrimage site and a tourist destination of Lâm Đồng Province. The pagoda is more than 100 years old and was recognized as a national historical and scenic relic in 1993. It is about 95 km from Phan Thiết via National Highway 1.
History
The pagoda originally began as a small hermitage founded in 1835 by Zen master Bảo Tạng, a monk of the 40th generation of the Lâm Tế Zen lineage. Over many generations, the temple has been repaired and renovated. Today it has become larger and more magnificent, and therefore it was renamed Cổ Thạch Pagoda.
Description
The pagoda is located next to the seven-colored Cà Dược stone beach. It is also popularly known as “Hang Pagoda” (Cave Pagoda). Cổ Thạch Pagoda is nestled among caves on a rocky hill about 64 meters above sea level.
The Cổ Thạch temple area is an architectural complex consisting of hermitages, halls, shrines, and meditation houses interconnected across a rocky hill covering more than 4 hectares. The main hall lies within the natural rock formations, sometimes hidden among large boulders. Nearby are meditation houses, ancestral halls, the patriarch hall, bell tower, drum tower, and many small shrines and hermitages. The site preserves many Hán-Nôm cultural relics, parallel sentences, horizontal lacquered boards, and historical documents dating back to the temple’s founding.
Several valuable artifacts remain, such as the Great Bell and the thunder drum, both dating from the first half of the 19th century. Each cave in the area worships a Buddha, Bodhisattva, or a deceased monk. The cave dedicated to the founder Bảo Tạng contains his statue and memorial tablets honoring those who contributed to building the temple. The Chuẩn Đề Buddha Mother cave contains an eight-armed Buddha statue along with many ancient statues. The Tam Bảo cave houses 23 ancient Buddha statues of various sizes and periods.
The temples, hermitages, and small shrines throughout the complex depict the life of the Buddha and the Bodhisattvas. On a rocky peak near the sea stands a statue of Avalokiteśvara (Guanyin) Bodhisattva. There is also a summit called Linh Thứu Peak, representing stories and legends from Buddhist scriptures.
Next to the pagoda lies the Cà Dược multicolored stone beach, stretching along the coastline. The beach here remains relatively wild and untouched, allowing visitors to swim and enjoy the natural scenery. For many decades, Cổ Thạch Pagoda, under the leadership of Venerable Thích Minh Đức, has become one of the main tourist destinations of Bình Thuận, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors each year who come to worship, pay respects to the Buddha, and admire the unique natural landscape of the area.
Source: Wikipedia
