Did you know that Chùa Hưng Ký has another name? It is also known as Vũ Hưng thiền am.
Welcome to Chùa Hưng Ký. This unique temple stands in a narrow alley at 222 Minh Khai Street. It is between Chợ Mơ market and Mai Động bridge. Chùa Hưng Ký offers a glimpse into the late Nguyễn Dynasty architecture. It features unique ceramic and porcelain designs.
Chùa Hưng Ký was established by the Hưng Ký couple. Mr. Hưng Ký was a successful businessman. His wife was Mrs. Vũ Thị Sau from Hoàng Mai village. They moved a dilapidated pagoda from Phố Cát. In 1932 they rebuilt it on vacant land north of Hoàng Mai village. Before this, Hoàng Mai had Nga My pagoda. It was built during the Lý Dynasty. People called Hưng Ký Temple “Chùa Mới” or New Pagoda to distinguish it.
Chùa Hưng Ký covers 3000 square meters. Its architectural layout includes the tam quan. Also included are the tam bảo, Phật điện and nhà tổ. These buildings are arranged harmoniously for Buddhist ceremonies.
The temple still has many colorful glazed ceramics. These decorate the architectural components. They depict stories from Buddhist tales. Visitors admire the talent of Vietnamese artisans. This dates back to the early 20th century. A stele at Chùa Hưng Ký was written in 1933 by cư sĩ Lã Nam Mai. It describes the temple poetically.
From Chợ Mơ turn left onto Minh Khai Street. Go about 300 meters to reach Chùa Hưng Ký. The archway has four large characters. They read “Thị nhân giác lộ”. This tells people that this is the path to enlightenment. Fifty meters further the tam quan comes into view. Despite houses on both sides of the alley the temple stands out. It has a three-tiered pyramidal structure. It features decorations of elephants, horses and tigers.
Inside the courtyard is the tam bảo and Phật điện. The tam bảo is a seven-bay building. It has twelve main columns each seven meters tall. The columns are made of reinforced concrete. The outside is covered with light pink granite. The roof is tiled with chữ Thọ symbols at the ends. The eaves of the tam bảo are decorated with wooden panels. They are covered in glazed ceramics. Each panel has a four-petal lemon blossom design.
The roof ridge features a vessel. This holds cam lồ water that Buddha uses to sprinkle. It saves living beings. Images of suns with rays of fire symbolize wisdom. The cổ diềm depicts scenes from Journey to the West. They show the 81 tribulations Đường Tăng faced on his journey.
The statues at Chùa Hưng Ký are large. The central statue in Phật điện is of Amitabha. It is 3.86 meters tall. Including the 1.3-meter brick base, the statue is 5.19 meters high. It sits on a lotus throne in a meditative pose. The statue wears a long áo cà sa robe with many folds. Its hands form a circle in front of its belly. The statue has a snail-shell head. It has long ears and a gentle expression. Its eyes look downward.
In front of the Amitabha statue is a statue of Di Lặc. Di Lặc is the future Buddha. He will replace Thích Ca. The statue sits with a fat belly. It has a smiling face.
In front of Phật điện is the tòa tam bảo. It houses statues of Quán Âm Thế Chí and Đại Thế Chí. These wooden statues are 3.3 meters tall. They stand on lotus thrones. The throne sits on a 0.56-meter brick base. Quán Thế Âm wears a pháp sư hat. The statue is draped in a cà sa robe. It raises one hand. Đại Thế Chí holds a cam lồ water vase.
The temple also has Đình Tam Thánh and Điện Mai Sau. Điện Mai Sau has a tiền tế, thiêu hương, cung cấm and ngũ môn. The courtyard has a pond and rockery. Điện Mai Sau is decorated with ceramic mosaics. They depict Bát tiên Nam Hải and the story of Liễu Hạnh returning to Buddha.
Built in 1932 Chùa Hưng Ký is now 78 years old. Despite two wars it remains mostly intact. Some say its unique architecture is like a flower. It retains its fragrance in the heart of the city. The Ministry of Culture and Information recognized it in 1992. Chùa Hưng Ký is ranked for preservation.
Chùa Hưng Ký shows unique architecture from the late Nguyễn Dynasty. It preserves many colorful glazed ceramics. These decorate the architecture. They harmoniously display many themes like Tứ linh and Tứ quý. Chùa Hưng Ký was recognized as a National Architectural Art Relic in 1996.