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CULTURAL WINDOW
shoulders and front legs make them
look as if they’re about to move,” said
Phan Cam Thuong, an art researcher
and author of Ancient Sculpture.
To the north, Phat Tich pagoda was
founded by Ly Cong Uan who later be-
came King Ly Thai To. Here, five pairs
of lions, elephants, rhinoceros, buffa-
loes and horses stand safeguarding the
main entrance. The pagoda is where
the country’s oldest Amitabha Buddha
statue (1057) is kept. Miniatures of
these full-size lion statues often stand
guard outside imposing government
buildings as a symbol of supreme royal
power. These sacred animals are not
overwhelming and frightening, but am-
icable and stately in demeanor.
40km away, Ong Sam pagoda in
Hung Yen province, boasts a lion that is
almost identical to the ones at Ba Tam
pagoda. It said that Regent Queen Y
Lan ordered the pagoda to be built in
honour of the maidens who died prior
to her accession to power.
People who live around Huong
Lang pagoda refer to it as the Lord Sam
pagoda as the only lion-pedestal that
survived the wars is there. In the 15th
century, China’s Ming invaders were or-
dered to destroy any signs of historical
or cultural heritage and the beheaded
sau - the smaller lion variations - can
still be seen today.
Under French rule the pagoda was
blown up along with the whole com-
pound. It is widely believed that these
lion-pedestals come in pairs, but only
one survived in Huong Lang.
These relics of the past absorbed
the essence of neighbouring cultures,
but our Vietnamese ancestors infused
their own cultural and traditional iden-
tities into the sculptures to make them
uniquely Vietnamese.
Today, it is important that we re-
vive our own national heritage, bring-
ing the lion sculptures back to life,
rather than copying foreign examples
and starting anew.
Chinese-style lions
Regal lion pedestals at Ba Tam pagoda