One Pillar Pagoda
(Vietnamese: Chùa Một Cột)
The pagoda was first built in 1049
under the Ly Dynasty, on the west side of the ancient Thang Long Capital. Its
original name was Dien Huu, expressing the wish for longevity for the second
King Ly. The pagoda is built in the shape of a lotus blooming on its stem.
The pagoda was built after the description of a dream of King Ly Thai Tong who
reigned between 1028 and 1054, in which Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, the Goddess
of Mercy, led him to a lotus flower.
The actual One Pillar Pagoda is the miniature reconstruction of a large,
ancient, royal Buddhist building.
The pagoda was destroyed a number of times over the centuries, most recently in
1954 during the French Colonial retreat, but was reconstructed in its present
form in 1955 with a concrete pillar.
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