View from Marble Mountains |
There are 5 “karsts”- mountains- named after each of the 5 elements: metal, water, wood, fire and earth. Over the years, Cham culture made the marble mountains a revered site in Vietnam, and several Vietnamese emperors also visited these mountains, giving it a special place in the culture of the country.
Huyen Khong Grotto |
This is a dramatically large cave, housing one huge buddha on a pedestal (see photo), and two smaller shrines on two sides. It’s a cool, quiet place. This cave at one time also housed the Vietnamese revolutionaries during that conflict, leading to bombing that left openings in the vast high roof (see photo). The entrance is guarded by two warriors statues.
The other grotto is called Tang Chon, on water mountain, and which has a beautiful lady Buddha statue (see photo). Elsewhere on the marble mountains, there’s the beautiful Tam Thai Pagoda with a nice laughing buddha in the forecourt.
The other nice temple not to be missed is the
Linh Ung Pagoda (see photo). And down the walk from this Pagoda is the tall Xa
Loi Tower, which has 200 Bodhisatva statues.
Just going around in this area gives peace of mind. Its quiet, wooded, and when we went, in December, drizzling and cool, though could become humid fairly quickly.
The Marble mountains also have a lot of stonework shops around the base, with large statues of various deities and Lady Buddha.
The marble mountains are a must visit when in Da Nang. Quite easy to reach and can easily spend 2 hours there. Just time it right ( early morning or later towards evening).
Lady Buddha |
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