Excavation results have affirmed that Con Son pagoda was a large Buddhist center, a place of practice, preaching, and Buddhist training of the country.
Many rare objects have been collected in a recent excavation spell at Con Son pagoda
The Management Unit of Con Son - Kiep Bac Relics and the Vietnam Institute of Archaeology on January 20 afternoon held a preliminary assessment of results of archaeological excavations at the foundation of To Duong (ancestral temple) in Con Son pagoda (Hai Duong).
The excavation spell is being carried out from December 2014 to January 2015 on an area of 315m2.
Foundations of structures from the Tran (13th century) and Le (17th century) dynasties, including two Cuu Pham Lien Hoa (nine-storeyed lotus-shaped) towers, have been unearthed in the excavation process.
Also collected this time were 2,080 objects, 895 of which were architectural ones (bricks, tiles, and decorative materials), and the rest were household articles (ceramics, porcelain, crockery, and earthenware).
Notably, many architectural objects, like bricks, toe-cap-shaped tiles, swallow wing-shaped ridge-tiles, and rare large burnt tower pieces with exquisite dragon patterns, indicate that this was once a large-scale work.
Along with an excavation spell in 2012, these excavation results have provided a relatively complete view of the central architectural area of Con Son pagoda in the Tran and Le dynasties, affirming that Con Son pagoda was a large Buddhist center, a place of practice, preaching, and Buddhist training of the country that has existed and developed throughout the nation's history.
The documents about the architectural foundations and objects collected are also important evidence affirming the position of the central architectural area, especially the Cuu Pham Lien Hoa architecture, and a reliable basis for the reconstruction of this work together with other structures in the overall Con Son pagoda.
NGOC HUNG
