Bút Tháp Temple ( vi, Chùa Bút Tháp,

chữ Hán Chữ Hán (𡨸漢, literally "Chinese characters", ), Chữ Nho (𡨸儒, literally "Confucian characters", ) or Hán tự (漢字, ), is the Vietnamese term for Chinese characters, used to write Văn ngôn (which is a form of Classical Chinese ...

: 寧福寺, Ninh Phúc tự) is a Buddhist temple located near the dyke of the

Đuống River The Đuống River ( vi, Sông Đuống), also known as the Thiên Đức River, is a river of Vietnam. It flows for through Bắc Ninh Province and Hanoi Hanoi or Ha Noi ( or ; vi, Hà Nội ) is the capital and second-largest city of Vie ...

, Thuận Thành District, Bắc Ninh Province,

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

. The temple is also popularly called Nhan Thap Temple. The temple was built in the 13th century. The temple houses the biggest

Avalokiteśvara In Buddhism, Avalokiteśvara (Sanskrit: अवलोकितेश्वर, IPA: ) is a bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas. He has 108 avatars, one notable avatar being Padmapāṇi (lotus bearer). He is variably depicted, ...

statue with one thousand eyes and a thousand arms. But Thap Temple is one of the most famous temples in Viet Nam. Inside, there are various valuable ancient objects and statues, which are considered to be Vietnamese masterpieces of 17th-century wood carving. During the same time the temple had become famous for the venerable abbot and Zen master Chuyet Chuyet ("thiền sư Thích Chuyết Chuyết") 1590 - 1644. The complex has 10 buildings spreading for 100 meters from the three-entrance gate to the bell-tower and back house. Inside the temple are more than 50 statues of different sizes including the Triad Buddha, Manjusri (Van Thu) on a blue lion and Samantabhadra (Pho Hien) on a white elephant. The most remarkable is the thousand-handed and thousand-eyed Guanyin, which is described as a sculptural masterpiece of Vietnam. The architecture, sculpture and decoration of the temple were exclusively confined to the 17th century, so it was the best intact and typical example of Vietnam's classical Buddhist art.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:But Thap Temple Buddhist temples in Vietnam Buildings and structures in Bắc Ninh province Tourist attractions in Bắc Ninh province