The Hang pagoda is a natural landscape lying halfway down a rocky mountain named Li Thach which belongs to the Truong Son mountain range spreading down into the beach in Hoi Khanh hamlet, My Hoa commune of Phu My district.

The Hang pagoda

The pagoda is also called with other names, including Thach coc tu (stone cave) and Thien sanh thach tu (natural stone cave).

It is supposedly a “pagoda” for there is an altar and a monk living inside, but it is actually a natural landscape.

The Li Thach mountain is surrounded by vast rice fields and gardens. Following along a meandering and sinuous path which was artificially made from stones, tourists will see a quite rough small ground which is directed toward the east. This is also the main entrance of the cave.

Above the arch of the entrance there is a rock whose upper surface has a shape of a tortoise-shell and lower surface is quite flat. The rock is 2 meters thick and 10 meters long and its jutting front part, which has the length of 5-6 meters, forms a natural roof.

No one knows how long stone tables naturally formed from blocks of marble have existed in the pagoda. According to the Dai Nam nhat thong chi (History of the unification of Great Vietnam) book, there are 15 square-shaped stone tables in the pagoda, including 3 inside, 5 on the right, 5 on the left, and one at each side of the entrance. There is a hole through to the mountain side at the top of the pagoda and a way leading to the Bac Ho pagoda at the bottom.

The cave has the width of 5 meters and the depth of 20 meters. In the centre of the cave is an altar, making it become a solemn and mysterious place of worship.

In front of the altar, there is another small cave leading beneath. It is said that the cave gets through to the sea. The locals said that a dried coconut with a mark on it had once been put into the cave and it was found at the edge of the sea soon after.

It is hard to believe that the cave has a way to the sea because the distance from the cave to the nearest beach is at least 20 km; however, it is possible that the coconut drifted out to the Khanh Hoi lake in the west of the mountain.

Behind the altar is a way leading inside. The further you go inside, the narrower the way becomes. The narrowest place in the cave is the way leading to the mountain. Climbing the roof of the entrance, tourists could see the picturesque scenery.

The cave with the natural beauty and peaceful atmosphere is a destination for many monks. A monk born in Binh Dinh but living at Xa Bang pagoda in Ninh Thuan province came here and built an altar in late 19th century.

The Hang pagoda has attracted many Buddhist followers and visitors since then.

Source: binhdinhetour.com.vn