 |
|
Ong Nui pagoda complex. Photo V.L |
Linh Phong pagoda, also called Ong Nui, was built under the Le dynasty 300 years ago. It now locates in Cat Tien commune, Phu Cat District, Binh Dinh Province.
About 30 km away from Hoang De (Emperor) Citadel to the north-east, there is a high mountain named Ba (Ba Mountain). Linh Phong pagoda was built on the mountain in 1733 and it is locally called Ong Nui pagoda.
In 1702, under the Le dynasty, the monk Moc Y Son Ong (called Ong Nui) lived in a cave on the mountain. He used bark as his clothes. The place, now called To cave, where he live still exists today.
His real name, according to ancestral tablets at Linh Phong pagoda, is Le Ban. Legend has it that Ong Nui cut wood in the daytime and exchanged for rice and salt.
Whenever there were any diseases in the village, he cured patients without asking anything.
In 1733, the Lord Nguyen Phuc Chu had the pagoda rebuilt, naming it “Linh Phong Thien Tu”. When the Tay Son insurgent army fought against the Nguyen army, the pagoda collapsed; Ong Nui then passed away. A tower was built on the right of the pagoda in 1785.
After decades, it was rebuilt, basing on the ruins of the pagoda. It’s interesting that there is still a stream flowing through precincts of the pagoda.
It’s the stream and To cave that remind the architecture of old pagoda. Many have visited Linh Phong pagoda for different purposes, but only when enjoying the fresh air here could visitors feel relaxed.
| 
