The One Pillar Pagoda has become the symbol of Vietnamese culture and history. This unique Buddhist pagoda is located in Ha Noi, Vietnam’s second largest city. It is regarded alongside the Perfume Pagoda, as one of Vietnam’s two most iconic temples.
It was built by Emperor Ly Thai Tong of the Ly dynasty (1028 – 1054). Legend has it that Ly Thai Tong was childless and he used to go to pagodas to pray for a son. One day he was dreaming that he met Bodhisattva Avalokteshvara who handed him a baby son while seated on a beautiful lotus flower in a pond. Not long after that, his wife bore him a son. Overjoyed by this, the emperor ordered the construction of One Pillar Pagoda in 1049.
1. What is the One Pillar Pagoda? ->
2. Where is it located? ->
3. Who built it? ->
4. Why did he build it? ->