Quoc Oai district has formulated plans and actively implemented the overall masterplan of the special national relic – Thay pagoda and Sai Son mountain area in Hoang Xa, Phuong Cach, paralled with renewed organization and management of Thay festival.
Thay pagoda was recognized as national relic in 1962 and then special national relic in 2014. Thay pagoda is a complex of relics which bear a plenty of values in terms of culture, art architectures, dexterious scupltures and age-old Buddha statues. Thay pagoda remains traces of Buddhist monk Tu Dao Hanh with the tales full of folk relegion; Taoism and Buddhism through many historical periods, and it is also one of the earliest place of worships for “Buddhism in the front and Saint at the back”. Thay pagoda is too a historical site marking the resistance against the French colonialists, cum the revolutionary base of President Ho chi Minh, the northern regional party committee and headquarter of the national salvation newpaper. In here, many objects of archaeological cultural values have been discovered and excavated.
Overall masterplan of the special national relic – Thay pagoda will be implemented soon by Quoc Oai district (Phote extracted from Internet)
According to the leaders of Quoc Oai district, formulation of the masterplan for the special national relic of Thay pagoda and Sai Son mountain area in Hoang Xa, Phuong Cach is imperative, aiming at solving ongoing issues i.e moving of 47 households, who are living around Long Tri lake at the foot of Thay mountain, to the new resetlement region so as to ensure that belts protecting the relics complex as regulated will not be encroached and occupied by the locals. At the same time, it is a condition to organize separately the spiritual part of numerous unique rites of Tantrism sect in the central area, and to move the festival part and services out of the relic compound, guaranteeing to keep intact the infrastructures and holy mythical space of the relic. It is also to open an accessibility road from the tourism belt leading to Long Dau pagoda, and to bring the car parking area and service facilities out of the relic’s central area. By doing so, it will help make the best contribution to preservation of architectural arts, as well as make sure that the embellishment and renovation of the core works within the relic in conformity with regulations as stated in the heritages law.
The total 100 ha area under the masterplan include such the items as communal house, pagoda, inn, temple, lime stone mountain range and service facilities to cater to tourists visiting Thay pagoda and Sai son mountain area in Hoang Xa, Phuong Cach for the purpose of religion and recreation.
Masterplan of Thay pagoda has been detailed to every site within the relic complex
The People’s Committee of the district has temporarily established a Relic Mangement Board so as to gradually take over the management of the relic and festival in the way that collection of fees, rearrangement of shoppings, tour guiding and narration and festive supplimentary services will be specialized with a view to creating positive changes in the management the relic, tourism; preventing absolutely the state of tourist touting; handling definitely the setting up unbeautiful leans-to and extended roofs; making clear signages for the relic’s places of visit; removing joss stick burners which are located improperly on the mountain and caves and grottos’ mouth, and not suitable with spiritual formalities; ensuring sanitary conditions at the relic; creating the light – green – fine landscape.
Quoc Oai district is expecting that with its proactiveness, whole-heartedness and professionlism in the masterplanning as well as the management and holding of festivals, Thay pagoda will succeed in promoting the special national relic’s beauties, making great impressions and wooing as many as possible both domestic and interntional tourists. Simultaneously, it will be ably linked with other attractions in the districts as to make full use of its potentials of religious cultual tourism associated with eco, craft village tourism for the cause of tourism economic development in a sustainable manner.
By Thu Trang