“Perfume Mount is an ever wish/ with mountains,
water, and clouds/ People always ask if this is the top-ranking cavern…”
(Extracted from “Perfume Mount passion” written by Chu Manh Trinh)
Overall view
Around 60 kilometers southwest of Hà Nội, Perfume
Pagoda is one among the largest and unique religious sites in Huong Son
Commune, My Duc District, old Ha Tay (or enlarged Hanoi), right banks of Day
River, northern Việt Nam. It comprises a complex of pagodas and Buddhist
shrines built into the limestone cliffs of Perfume Mount (Hương Sơn),
scattering alongside the mountain up to the peak. The complex’s center is right
inside Huong Tich cavern (or in other words, Inside Pagoda). Huge numbers of
pilgrims flock to the site during Perfume Pagoda festival, which begins in the
middle of the first lunar month and lasts until the middle of the third one (or
from February till March) in order to pray for happiness and prosperity in the
coming year. Also, it is a very popular opportunity for young couples to meet
and for numerous budding romances to be formed. On this special occasion, a
wide range of traditional cultural activities is incorporated. Perfume pagoda
is not only a religious site, but a great sight-seeing spot in Vietnam as well.
Starting the pilgrimage
Coming to Huong Pagoda, what should not be left home
is a good camera, since you will regret unless you catch all the snapshots of
this fascinating nature drawings!
Bến
Đục (Pier Duc)
The
very first starting point of the pilgrimage is Ben Duc (Pier Duc). Normally, it
takes more than 2 hours to go from Hanoi to Ben Duc. During the annual festival
months, Ben Duc is packed with thousands of row boats used for shuttling
visitors. For many visitors, this one-hour boat ride on the Yen Vi Stream from
Pier Duc is actually the highlight of the trip, and inspiration sources of
quite a few famous poets.
Suối Yến (Yen stream)
Yen stream flows between two mountains for 3
kilometers. Nevertheless, sitting on the boat, leisurely enjoying the
surrounding landscape, you may feel that the stream is endless. Despite a
facilitated road from Pier Duc to Perfume mountain, most people choose to use
row boats on Yen Vi Stream (or Yen Stream), which is by far a much more romantic
and scenic route to Huong Pagoda.
While traveling along Yen Stream, tourists pass by
stunning landscape of blazing green rice paddles studded with jagged limestone
mounts to the base of Huong Mountain. If you are on a boat there, you can
easily see on your left the Phoenix Mountain, and Doi Cheo Mountain, which
looks like an Indian python (Tran). Also on the left are Bung and Voi, the two
mountains associated with interesting legends. On your right is Ngu Nhac
mountain with the Trinh Temple where visitors stop and burn incense for the God
of the Mountain. Before reaching Tro Wharf where the tour begins, the boat also
passes by the Deo and Phong Su Mountains, Son Thuy Huu Tinh Cave, Trau Cave,
Hoi Bridge, and Dau Valley.
Chùa
Thiên Trù (Thien Tru Pagoda)
Stepping inland, there comes an interesting informal
protocol for tourists! The first stop before climbing up to Huong Mount must
always be a visit to Den Trinh, which means “registration shrine”. The next
point of interest would be a visit to Thien Tru Pagoda (chuà Ngoài - Outer
Pagoda), which was built in the 18th century under King Le Thanh Tong dynasty.
“Thien Tru” means a heaven kitchen, derived from the imagination of the locals
in this region, of which the rock formations in this area look like chefs
busily working in the kitchen. Thien Tru Pagoda is famous for Thuy Tien tower,
a granite monolith. On the right is Tien Son grotto, popular for five granite
statues and various formations on the walls of the cave. Coming here, pilgrims
have chances to admire the pagoda’s beauty and wonderful local landscapes.
Động
Hương Tích (Huong Tich Grotto)
After
more than one hour along the stream and visiting the initial ancient pagodas
from the riverbank, now pilgrims would climb up hundreds of stone steps, and then
down 120 stone steps to Huong Tich Grotto, literally meaning "traces of
fragrance". The path to Huong Tich winds its way through magnificently
luxuriant landscapes. The moss-grown Huong Tich Grotto came to life thanks to
the most venerable Van Thuy Thien Tran Dao Vien Quang Chan Nhan, the Chief Monk
of Thien Tru Pagoda. In front of the cave lie stone stairs. Stepping down the
120-step stairs, tourists will find the inscription "The first-ranking
grotto under the Southern Sky" in Han scripts, which are traces of Lord
Tinh Do Vuong Trinh Sam's calligraphy in the 3rd lunar month of the year of the
Tiger (Canh Dan -1770). Getting into the grotto, you will find a purely cool
atmosphere in a dim light before figuring out naturally architectural works
such as Dun Gao (Rice) rock, gold and silver trees, Girl and Boy Mountains (in
the shapes of a girl and a boy), and so forth. Yet, what is noteworthy is the
statue of Avalokitesvara carved out of emerald stone on a rocky lotus,
constructed in 1793, under the Tay Son dynasty, and a 1.24m bronze bell, molded
in the 3rd Thinh Duc Year (1655). The unique carving art together with the
extremely magnificent works of Nature makes the Huong Pagoda complex the top-revenue
tourism destination among others in Ha Tay, and the foremost destination of
Buddhists in particular and tourists in general.
Saying goodbye to Perfume Grotto, now tourists may
choose to further go up to the top Mount by climbing up hundreds of stone steps,
all worn smooth by passage of countless feet, or take a short rest and complete
the pilgrimage.
These days, the Vietnamese believe that Huong Son is
Buddha's Heaven due to its sacredness and 100% natural works of beauty. Quite a
few tourists would like to come back this mysterious and sacred mountain
annually for religious reasons on the one hand, and on the other hand, for the
enchanting natural landscapes.
This
article written by Lanh Nguyen from Vietnam Vacation
For
original article, please visit:
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