(HBO) – After restoration, Hang (Cave) Pagoda in Yen Tri commune of Hoa Binh province’s Yen Thuy district still has the unique architectural features of a pagoda in a cave maintained while the landscape improved.
The special feature of the Hang Pagoda in Yen Tri
commune (Yen Thuy district) is that its entire space of worship is located
inside a cave.
Hang Pagoda is the common name of a Buddhist
temple built in Hang Chua (Pagoda Cave), also known as Van Quang Cave. In the
past, it has the courtesy name of Thanh Lam Tu.
The pagoda and the cave accommodating it are
about 85km to the south of the centre of Hoa Binh city, 5km away from Hang Tram
town, and 13km from Nho Quan town of neighbouring Ninh Binh province.
The cave was named Hang Chua (Pagoda Cave) since
two of the four caverns in the mountain house pagodas. The caverns are
decorated with not only the temples’ architecture but also poems and texts
engraved on their stone walls.
Archaeologists also discovered traces of the Hoa
Binh civilisation in Hang Chua such as food vestiges like snail and clam shells
and tool fragments.
Not only the architectural features but the
landscape full of greenery here also makes this place special.
In 1994, the site of Hang Pagoda and Chua Cave
was recognised as a national historical and cultural relic site by the Ministry
of Culture. Since then, the Hang Pagoda festival has been organised at the
beginning of every year, offering an occasion for visitors to admire the unique
pagoda landscape, pray for wealth, and join locals in folk cultural activities.
In 2020, some of the site’s facilities were restored
and built so as to help preserve and bring into play the site’s value./.
Phong Phu commune, Tan Lac district of Hoa Binh province, is widely regarded as the cultural heartland of the Muong ethnic group. Among its many traditional communities, Luy Ai hamlet (formerly Ai hamlet) stands out as a rare location where the customs and way of life of the Muong Bi people remain largely intact.
The Truong Kha temple festival, a distinctive cultural event held every three years in Vu Ban township, Lac Son district, returned recently with vibrant rituals and folk traditions of the Muong people. Located next to the Buoi River in the Muong Trao fields, the Truong Kha Temple is dedicated to the three Kun Dol deities, revered for teaching farming techniques, irrigation, weaving, and protecting the harvest.
The demand for spaces serving community activities of residents in various areas across Hoa Binh city has been satisfied as local cultural houses now feature modern, spacious facilities thanks to the effective implementation of Resolution No. 49/NQ-HDND issued on December 28, 2021 by the city People's Council, which approved the plan for reorganising, converting, and allocating land for the construction, repair, and expansion of cultural houses in Hoa Binh’s villages and residential areas until 2025.
At the end of May, the Hoa Binh Provincial Ethnic Arts Troupe organized a series of performances for residents in Region 2 and Region 3 communes across the province. Bringing art to ethnic communities in remote, isolated, and especially disadvantaged areas has become a meaningful activity. These are not merely artistic performances but also journeys to disseminate cultural values, enrich spiritual life, and contribute to preserving the cultural identity of ethnic minorities.
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