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Standing
room only: These
pilgrims watch a dragon dance performed at the Thien
Tru Pagoda before embarking on the final ascent to
Huong Tich Cave, the ultimate goal of their journey.
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Worshippers
cave in to tradition at Huong Tich
by
Tri Binh
As soon as Tet
is overand the lunar new year has begun, pilgrims head to Huong
(Perfume) Pagoda for one of the biggest and most important events on the
Buddhist calendar.
During the
two-month-long festival, the sheer numbers of pilgrims making their way
up the Huong Son mountain range make it almost impossible to recapture
the serenity that has inspired generations of poets, including one of
the Trinh warlords, to extol the area’s celestial beauty.
However, the
crowds are not enough to drive away Quan Am (also known in Chinese as
Kuan Yin or in Sanskrit as Avalokiteshivra), the bodhisattva of
compassion who is believed to bless the pilgrims with happiness,
children and wealth in the new year.
According to
legend, Huong Son is home to many traces left by Quan Am during her
lifetime; before she attained nirvana, transcended karma and
extinguished desire, hatred and illusion.
The importance of
the sacred site is enhanced by its unique combination of nature and
culture: where rugged limestone mountains, caves and rivers meet
centuries-old architecture.
Throughout the
first few lunar months, thousands of visitors from across the country
arrive at the Duc Khe wharf in Ha Tay Province’s My Duc District, 60km
from Ha Noi, before they tackle the mountains by boat or on foot.
The less-popular
trekking option would take the pilgrims through famous groves of
apricots and allow them to meet villagers picking medicinal herbs or
gathering kindling at the foot of the mountain range. They would also
pass by the grave of the early 20th-century poet Tan Da.
The favoured boat
trip along the scenic Yen Stream allows the pilgrims to hear first-hand
accounts of the land and people of the area from those who know it best:
the rowers.
The boat rowers
would also advise their passengers about whether they should ascend
straight to the Huong Tich Cave, spend some time at the nearby pagodas
or continue along the stream to less-visited pagodas off the beaten
path.
The rowers from
Yen Vi Village would recount time and again how the goddess of
compassion chose the mountain range, and how the emperors themselves had
picked the spots for the pagodas and temples.
Every now and
again, the rowers would slow down to point out the distant mountains
shaped like a pile of rice, turtle, unicorn, phoenix or bells.
As soon as the
visitors arrive at the Thien Tru Pagoda, the path gets steeper and
narrower, and the traffic jams of the city come to the mountains.
The 12km climb to
the Huong Tich Cave can take several hours, as the small winding path
becomes a gridlocked chain of Buddhist pilgrims, hemmed in on both sides
by make-shift stalls selling food, drinks and religious memorabilia.
The sound of old
women chanting the mantra of nam mo a di da phat, or in the name
of the Amitabha Buddha, can sometimes be heard over the bitter
complaints of young couples carrying their kids on their backs.
This experience is
often enough to make many people swear they will never make another
pilgrimage to Huong Pagoda, but the next year they find themselves
taking the trek all over again.
"All is
suffering," joked one Hanoian who had just returned from a day at
the pagoda. "That’s what a festival is all about."
The reward comes
when the pilgrims finally reach the mountain that is home to the Huong
Tich Cave – the main attraction in the range.
The cave is
likened to the open mouth of a giant dragon, and the stalactites and
stalagmites inside lead many to believe they are in a miniature
pavilion.
Above the entrance
to the cave is where the 18th-century poet and warlord Trinh Sam
inscribed the words Nam thien de nhat dong, or "the most
beautiful cave under the southern sky".
The large
stalagmite in the middle of the cave is kept continuously wet by a
trickle of water from the ceiling, and has long been thought to bring
fertility to childless couples.
Women will rub
their hands on the stalagmite in the hope of conceiving a child in the
new year, and the fact that many couples have been blessed with a bundle
of joy after visiting Huong Pagoda has added to the area’s mythology.
— VNS |
