Phung Son Temple

VIETNAM, Ho Chi Minh City

Phung Son means Phoenix Mountain. The temple was established by monk Lieu Thong in the early 19th century. It subsequently underwent two major reconstructions. During the late 20th century, archaeologists discovered the remains of a 1,500-year-old Brahmin temple nearby.
The principal buildings of the temple include the temple gate and the main hall. The temple gate is three bays wide. It has a hip-and-gable roof and eaves with upturned corners. There are couplets on the columns, as well as carvings of auspicious symbols and creatures on the capitals of the columns. The main hall has a hip-and-gable roof with a miniature pagoda on the main ridge. The Buddha niche in the main hall is divided into three tiers and contains statues of the Amitabha Buddha Triad, Sakyamuni Buddha, and the Bodhisattvas Avalokitesvara, Ksitigarbha, Manjusri, and Samantabhadra. They are all carved from wood by Tai Cong Ken and other craftsmen.