The Foundation of Thay Pagoda As Seen from a Bell Inscription of the Ly Dynasty

Abstract

Thay Pagoda (Thien Phuc Tu) is a historical-cultural vestige, well-known as Buddish architectural monument belonging to the two communes of Da Phuc and Thuy Khue, Sai Gon village, Quoc Oai province, Hanoi City (former Ha Tay). Historical documents preserved at Thay Pagoda are numerous, including sac phong (title confering), than pha (history of worshing deities), stone-steles, bronze bells, hoanh phi, cau doi (a pair of wood panels).

In this article, we would like to introduce an inscription carved in a bronze bell of the Ly dynasty current preserved in this pagoda. The bell was lost, but fortunately its inscription had been copied by the Vietnam Institute of Sino-Nom Studies. We can see the content of this Sino-Nom original inscription in "Carved Writings in Sino-Nom in Vietnam" (Volume 1, from the Chinese Domination to the Ly Dynasty) published in 1998. The history of the foundation of Thay Pagoda is clearly reflected in this script.