Unique features of Cao Xa Pagoda

Unique heritage

Over time, the 26 steles have been covered with moss but are still carefully preserved and maintained. According to Mr. Do Xuan Suat, representative of the Cao Xa Communal House and Pagoda Relic Management Sub-Committee, all 26 steles are unique heritages, rarely seen in religious works in general and pagodas in particular. Each stele is 50-80 cm high and about 50 cm wide, like a portrait of mothers, skillfully carved by artisans on green stone. The border around the stele is carved with delicate patterns. On the stele, in addition to the portraits of the mothers, their contributions to the construction of pagodas and other works in their hometown are clearly recorded.

According to recorded and translated documents, these steles were carved and erected in different years, popular in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries.

According to Han Nom researcher Dang Van Loc, offering post-worship is a form of offering fields, money, gold, silver, worshiping objects... to the village or communal house, pagoda to have a long-term memorial service after "a hundred years old". Some people offer post-worship to ask the village, communal house, pagoda... to hold memorial services for themselves or their family members. Some people offer post-worship to enhance their own prestige, status, their family lineage or to seek refuge in the gods and Buddhas, the whole village offering memorial services to them so that the incense can last a long time...

There are not many post-stele systems in Hai Duong. Besides Cao Xa Pagoda, there are also a few places to worship post-steles, but over time and many renovations, there are not many places that are as carefully preserved as Cao Xa Pagoda. The custom of worshiping post-steles appeared in our country around the beginning of the 16th century. In particular, in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, post-stele worship was very developed and the carving of steles recording the names and merits of those who worshiped post-steles was also done in large numbers, but later it was less.

According to Mr. Do Xuan Suat, the 26 post-steles at Cao Xa Pagoda, in addition to the above-mentioned meaning, also have educational value. Through the post-stele system, we can clearly see the moral standards of women in feudal times. This is the example for women in the past to follow. The steles also show that in the past, there were social activities in the construction of cultural and spiritual relics...

Monk Thich Tuc Thinh affirmed that along with many other antiques still preserved at the pagoda, the 26 post-steles are the difference, unique to Cao Xa Pagoda. The steles contribute to the value of the relic. The State recognized and ranked Cao Xa Pagoda as a national relic in 1995. Due to its uniqueness and difference, the system of post-steles of Cao Xa Pagoda was sampled by the Hai Duong Provincial Museum to restore the original size and shape to display on the campus, introducing to the people and tourists about this special heritage.

Preserving the old features

In addition to worshiping Buddha, the special thing about Cao Xa Pagoda is that it also worships Mrs. Nguyen Thi Phuong, the mother of Saint Tam Quan, the tutelary deity of Cao Xa village - who helped the 18th Hung King fight the enemy to save the country. She was the wife of Mr. Hung Thuan Cong, the 18th Hung King's uncle. She taught people how to grow cotton, beans, eggplants and weave... Every year on her death anniversary (the 4th day of the 2nd lunar month), people hold a grand ceremony.

According to Mr. Suat, for a long time, people in Cao Xa village have passed down the song: "No matter who trades in the west or east/Remember the anniversary of the ancestors of the East Mountain and come back/No matter who trades in a hundred trades/Remember the anniversary of the ancestors and come back to plant cotton..." to remember the merits of Mrs. Nguyen Thi Phuong and also remind farmers of the planting calendar to help them grasp the season.

"The altar of Mrs. Nguyen Thi Phuong is a special spiritual place, often visited by many infertile people to pray for children," Mr. Suat added.

Coming to Cao Xa Pagoda, many visitors are impressed by the peace and pristine beauty carefully preserved by the local people. According to According to many archives and records of the village, Cao Xa pagoda dates back to the Later Le Dynasty, built on a high and open plot of land with an area of ​​about 6,500 square meters. The pagoda is located in the western area of ​​Cao Xa village. The pagoda is surrounded by rivers on three sides with a protective belt of green bamboo hedges. The pagoda has 7 front rooms, 3 main rooms, 5 stele rooms and a model house.

The system of statues in the pagoda has remained quite intact since its construction until now. According to the elders in the village, since the pagoda was built, these statues have been repainted by the people 3 times, each time about 100 years apart. Notably, in the pagoda, there is a bronze statue of the Jade Emperor, each time it is repainted, it takes 20 young men to carry it, and it is still carefully protected to this day.

Over time, the ancient pagoda has been deteriorating. The local authorities have asked for permission to renovate and restore the pagoda with the hope that it will become a meaningful spiritual tourist destination in Cam Giang district. According to monk Thich Tuc Thinh, the restoration and renovation of the pagoda was agreed upon by the Relic Management Board in order to preserve the ancient features and the inherent peace and tranquility of this spiritual place.