The gate of Ba Mu Pagoda – A unique architectural relic

According to the book “The Heritage of Han Nom Hoi An” volume I, the engraving on the stone stele compiled by Thuan Phu Truong Dong Hiep, transcribed by Ngo Duc Chi, translated by Nguyen Boi Lien, this relic was built by the people of Minh Huong village in the year of the reign of Hy Ton Hieu Van Emperor (1626), in the land bordering Cam Pho and Thanh Ha communes, Hoi An was named Cam Hai Nhi Cung. Because there is not enough data to prove it, the time of relocation to the current location is still a big question mark in the research world.

Cam Hai Nhi Palace is divided into two separate palaces located in parallel on the same campus. Cam Ha Cung is located on the left, worshipping Bao Sanh the Great and 36 generals who were ordained gods. Hai Binh Cung is located on the right, worshipping Thien Hau Holy Mother and 12 women. The origin is so, but legend has it that Hai Binh Cung worships Thien Hau Holy Mother and 12 women, this place is very inspiring, so local people often come to pray for prayers, praying for wishes, so the people call it Ba Mu Pagoda. According to the epitaph, this name must have been used at least before 1922, over time Ba Mu Pagoda became the official name for this relic.

In the Year of Mau Than, the first year of Tu Duc (1848), this work deteriorated, the villagers of Minh Huong decided to donate to restore it, and at the same time build a new, more grandiose gate for the relic. The work was assigned by the villagers to Mr. Truong Chi Thi to undertake.
Mr. Truong Chi Thi (1797-1852) came from the Truong Don Hau family, a famous clan in Hoi An. According to Minh Huong Hien Pho Do copied by Ly Thanh Yi, Truong Chi Thi took the Huong exam, passed the baccalaureate two faculties in a row, so it was called the baccalaureate bifaculty. In the past, many seniors in the Truong clan recounted that when he was born, he was very good at architecture and construction, respected by everyone, so when he received the responsibility entrusted by the village, although he was happy, he could not help but worry a lot. Because the restoration of the relic is not very difficult, but building two three pavilions together in the same space for reasonableness and grandeur is a seemingly difficult task.

During the start of the restoration of the relic, one night while reading a book, Truong Chi Thi fell asleep tiredly. In his dream, he saw a majestic general holding hands leading to a place of majestic and radiant wind, fresh flowers and grass, and fragrance. Here there are two tall pillars that touch the foot of the clouds, painted with brilliant golden lipstick. While he was drunkenly watching the scenery, he suddenly saw the sun appearing brightly between the two pillars, dazzling his eyes, making him startled and awakened.
After waking up, he hurriedly took pen and paper to try to redraw what he saw in his dream, the first images of the gate began to gradually appear on the drawings. As a talented person with profound research in Epidemiology, instead of designing two gates with two three pavilions, he connected them to make a “five senses” to suit the five elements of metal, wood, fire, water, and earth.

The gate of Ba Mu Pagoda was designed by Truong Chi Thi in the shape of two stylized letters, making a separate entrance for the two Cam – Hai palaces. The four main pillars are both the axis of the two letters, and symbolize the four majestic pens pointing to the blue sky, creating a massive shape and a solid structure for the entire gate block. With the image of the bright sun still lingering in his dreams, he designed the distance between the two central pillars with a large circle symbolizing yin and yang, the sun and moon, locked by two intricately painted lions that were conceived as passages for the gods. On the left and right sides, there are four entrance gates, each consisting of a main gate and a covered secondary gate.

On each top of the main gate decorated with lotus flowers, the roof pattern is attached with pieces of porcelain, this gate serves as a passage on important holidays. Each side gate is designed in the form of an arch that adds to the diversity of the design, which serves as an everyday walkway. Motifs and decorative patterns such as buddha fruits, frieze patterns, embossed letters are thickly arranged but have an orderly layer on the entire gate, adding to the majesty and majesty of the entire gate of Ba Mu Pagoda. The pagoda gate was built for nearly two centuries, looks ancient, but the layout, shapes, and lines are no less contemporary, but I think that is also a rare talent of the designer in the past.

It is known that the relics everywhere today are mostly unknown to the names of the people who penned the drawing design, which is also a defect of the ancients. Particularly for Ba Mu Pagoda, thanks to the stone stele and stories in the clan that have preserved to this day, I think we know the name of the person who designed the temple gate is also a rare and interesting story.

After many years of war, people’s hearts were separated, so the worship and preservation of relics were somewhat sluggish. Cam Hai Nhi Cung gradually fell into disrepair, Minh Huong village did not have enough funds for renovation, so in 1965, the representative of Minh Huong village had to donate this campus to the Quang Nam Buddhist Provincial Association to be a Bodhi school to teach Buddhism. At the request of the village, at the same time, realizing that the architectural part of the temple gate is a unique relic, both parties agreed to keep the gate architecture to save the relic for future generations.

During the war years, the lotus lake area in front of the temple gate was leveled. People gather to live, the daily bread is not enough, few people think about conservation. Due to lack of care and restoration, this relic is increasingly deteriorating seriously. Experiencing the ups and downs of the revival, the clearance of compensation and the restoration of the gate of Ba Mu Pagoda is a great effort of the Hoi An government, as well as the joy of the people of Hoi An after more than a century of this relic being overshadowed. It really also corresponds to the words written by the ancients on the stone stele “… For a long time, it has to be corrected, and scholars say that the preservation of fairy tales today is a big problem, the former builds them, the latter must follow them.”
Now, the relics of the gate of Ba Mu Pagoda have become more radiant than before, becoming an attraction for tourists to visit thanks to the merits of the ancients, who now preserve and preserve it for thousands of years.