We were at a T-junction, on our way to the 1,500 years old Tran Quoc Pagoda when the Greatest Kon mentioned another notable temple that was just about 100 meters at the opposing direction. Oh well, might as well right?
Quan Thanh Temple - first built when the capital was moved from Hoa Lu to Hanoi (then known as Thang Long); meaning an age of more than a thousand years!
Started as a Taoist temple, it was said to be one of four temples that worship four protectors, signifying the four directions, that guard Thang Long. As there were numerous restorations over the years, the architectural design now is more representative of the period from the Nguyen dynasty.
Seeing the need for ticketing and that we might spend too much time in the temple (and seeing an uninterested expression on Alex's face), we decided, to give this a miss.
Taking some pictures from outside; from what I see, the roof of the temple reminded me of Ba Da pagoda, which we visited on day two of the trip. I didn't read much about this temple until I am working on this posting.
Apparently, there were more to this temple; like one 3.6-meter tall black-bronze statue, said to be the second largest in Vietnam, that was made in the 17th century, to honor the patron deity "Huyen Thien Tran Vu". Never mind, I can always make another trip to the temple in the future!
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Đ. Thanh Niên, Quán Thánh, Ba Đình,
Hà Nội 118810, Vietnam
Map
As above.
As above.
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