The One-Pillar Pagoda in Hanoi, Viet Nam, also called Dien Huu, means “long-lasting happiness and good luck.” It was built in the winter of 1049, when King Ly Thai Tong ruled the kingdom.
Based on the official records of Dai Viet Su Ky Toan Thu, or The Complete History of Great Viet, the pagoda came to existence and was named as such when the king once dreamed of seeing the Goddess of Mercy sitting on a lotus throne and talking to him. The king shared this dream to his mandarins wherein one thought it was a bad omen. A monk, Thien Tue, then advised King Ly Thai Tong to build a pagoda as well as a lotus-shaped tower exactly like the one in his dream. When the structure was made, the monks prayed around it, reciting the Buddhist scriptures for longevity of the king.
Originally, the temple was made of wood and stood on a single concrete pillar 1.25 meters in diameter. As in the dream, it was designed to replicate a lotus blossom. A lotus is a Buddhist symbol of purity since it blossoms in a muddy pond. Through time, the pagoda underwent a number of renovations. In the war of 1954, it was even destroyed by the French colonists. The government had it rebuilt the following year. At present, the pagoda is still made of wood, square-shaped, and has a curved roof. It is placed on a pillar 4 meters high (excluding the underground section) and 1.2 meters in diameters with two blocks connected together. The present structure is still made to resemble a lotus like in the king’s dream. Moreover, the wood beam system of the pagoda creates both solidity and beauty for the structure, a pleasing combination of imagination and unique architecture.
On April 28, 1962, the One-Pillar Pagoda was recognized as a historical relic because of its architectural and historical values. On May 4, 2006, it received an even higher and global recognition as it made its way to the Guinness Book of World Records as the “Pagoda with the most unique architecture in Vietnam.”
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