Bai Dinh Pagoda – The Holy Land In Ninh Binh

Bai Dinh Pagoda - Culture Pham Travel

Introduction

Bai Dinh Pagoda is known as a renowned complex of Buddhist temples in Ninh Binh. There are a large number of tourists visiting annually to discover the biggest religion in Vietnam – Buddhism.

Bai Dinh Pagoda - Culture Pham Travel

Moreover, the pagoda is recognized in many regional records such as South East Asia’s largest pagoda complex as well as Asia’s largest gold-coated bronze Buddha statue. Today’s article will provide you with more information about Bai Dinh Pagoda, Gia Sinh. Let’s find out!

Bai Dinh Pagoda Location

Located on Bai Dinh mountain, visitors can easily find this pagoda in Gia Sinh commune, Gia Vien district, Ninh Binh Province. Plus, it is a hot spot for people to worship and is considered the largest Buddhist pilgrimage in Vietnam.

View more: Things to do in Ninh Binh

How To Get To Bai Dinh Pagoda?

It is about 15 kilometers from the city center of Ninh Binh and 95 kilometers from Hanoi to Bai Dinh Pagoda Ninh Binh. Also, if you are at Hoa Lu Ancient Capital, the distance is roughly 5 kilometers from the capital’s Northwest to the pagoda. Besides, when you are at Trang Anh Grottos, let’s follow the northbound to get to the pagoda!

Hanoi to Bai Dinh Pagoda Map

There are several means of transport for you to get to the pagoda such as by taxi, bus, or by motorbike. Nevertheless, we highly recommend you book our Hanoi to Ninh Binh private car transfer or Hanoi to Ninh Binh Limousine to get to Ninh Binh and start your journey to the pagoda at a reasonable price.

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Plus, we also guarantee your safety and completely acceptable stopping by some famous attractions to take photos or take a rest on way. Most importantly, our service will offer you an English-speaking driver with a door-to-door transfer service. Hence, you don’t need to care too much and just enjoy the journey.

Best Time To Visit 

However, when is the best time to visit Bai Dinh Pagoda Complex? We can say it is exactly between January and March following the lunar calendar. During the spring season, the weather is warm and temperate to go on a perfect trip.

Bai Dinh Pagoda - Culture Pham Travel

You can come here to have an incredible sightseeing tour, worship, or simply pilgrimage. Besides, this is also the major festival time, so you can join and enjoy an amazing vibe of festivals in Ninh Binh as well as get to know more about the culture, customs, and religion here.

Bai Dinh Pagoda Entrance Fee And Opening Hours

The entrance fee is free but you have to pay 50,000 VND/per person to visit Bell Tower, 30,000 VND/per person to book an electric car, and 300,000 VND to hire a tourist guide. The opening hours are from 8 am to 5 pm, so remember to plan a suitable schedule for your trip!

Bai Dinh Pagoda History

Back 1000 years ago, the area of Bai Dinh Pagoda Ninh Binh was the temporary capital of the Dinh Dynasty. During the era of Ly Emperor, Nguyen Minh Khong – the Chaplain decided to build the pagoda to be contemplative, heal disease and help people. Especially, he would like to heal a strange disease called turned tiger for King Ly Thai Tong.

Since the past, the pagoda has been referred to as one of the biggest Buddhist centers, Taoism as well as Mother Goddess worship. Now, the pagoda is complex including two main categories: new and old Bai Dinh Pagoda.

What To Explore?

When traveling to Bai Dinh Pagoda Vietnam, you will have an opportunity to discover a lot of interesting things inside.

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The Unique Architecture

First of all, we should mention the unique architectures that play a key role in breaking records in the area. The pagoda area is up to 539 hectares. New Bai Dinh Pagoda occupies 80 hectares and the Old Bai Dinh is 27 hectares.

Bai Dinh Pagoda map

Bai Dinh Pagoda - Culture Pham Travel

Tam Quan Gate (Pagoda’s Three-Entrance Gate)

So, what to see inside Bai Dinh pagoda? The first thing you will see when entering the pagoda will be Tam Quan Gate – or Pagoda’s three-entrance gate. Moreover, Tam Quan Gate is considered the pagoda’s face.

Bai Dinh Pagoda - Culture Pham Travel

This is the only entrance for Bonze, Buddhist people, and tourists to enter Bai Dinh Temple. The gate is solemn but still harmonious enough for people to feel free when coming inside. 

Bell-Tower

Another typical architecture is Bell-tower. It is a shaped octagon tower including 3 floors of different sizes. The bottom diameter is 49 meters and the tower is 22 meters in height supported by a lotus-shaped lamp.

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The Bell-tower has eight sides and these sides are often open. If you would like to go higher, you can follow the staircases leading to the tower top. Here, you can see a panoramic view of fresh nature, green forests, and blue sky. Plus, there is a big bell put in the middle of the tower. If you want to see it or ring the bell, you can go there.

Buddha Dharma Lord Temple

You can find out the Buddha temple behind the Bodhisattva temple. As soon as you see the Buddha dharma lord temple, you will be overwhelmed due to its incredible architecture. It is 47.7-meter length, 45.5-meter width, and 30-meter height.

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Especially, there is a big Gautama Buddha for people to worship. Thich Ca Buddha is a bronze statue with weighs 100 tons and is 10 meters in height. Plus, it is also referred to as the highest and heaviest Buddha statue.

Temple Of Three Identical Statues Of Buddha

Most importantly, this pagoda is also called by another name: Temple of three identical statues of Buddha – or Dien Tam The in Vietnamese. You have to overcome 200 stone steps to get to Dien Tam The.

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Besides, Dien Tam The can be referred to as the tallest, largest, and greatest building. It includes 3 identical Buddha statues representing the present, the past, and the future.

Statues Of 500 Arhats In The Corridor

Moreover, don’t forget to admire the statues of 500 arhats in the corridor. There are two corridors with a length of up to 1.700 m – known as the longest corridors. These statues were carved and constructed by 100 artisans and 700 workers.

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Gieng Ngoc

1000 years ago, Gieng Ngoc (Pearl Well) was built moon-shaped. The diameters are 30 meters. The water depth is 6 meters. The well broke the record of the biggest God well in Vietnam. Especially, the watercolor is marble surrounded by 4 octagonal floors.

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Bai Dinh Pagoda Festival

At the beginning of the year, Bai Dinh Pagoda Festival celebrates on the 6th, of January and ends in March following the lunar calendar. This is one of the biggest holidays in the North of Vietnam.

Bai Dinh Pagoda - Culture Pham Travel

Travel Tips

Here are some tips for you before traveling:

  • Remember to wear polite clothes because this is a holy place;
  • Avoid wearing high heels! We highly recommend you use sneakers or sports shoes to easily move through steep terrains;
  • Bring sun cream to prevent UV and umbrellas in case it rains;
  • Never draw or paint on statues or not rugging statues.

Conclusion

Culture Pham Travel has just introduced you to the best Bai Dinh Pagoda travel guide. We hope this article can give you useful information for your Bai Dinh Pagoda tour.

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