Ban Long Cave and Pagoda is located in Khe Dau Thuong Hamlet, Ninh Xuan Commune, Hoa Lu District, one of the ancient territories of Ninh Binh Province.
Ban Long Pagoda does not have a Tam Quan gate. The path to the pagoda passes through a beautifully curved stone bridge. Here, large blocks of green stone are assembled and delicately carved together to form a unique bridge.
Ban Long Cave and Pagoda created previous to Dinh dynasty is a architectural construction in which people worship the Buddha. This relic also contain a place for worshippingMother Goddesses: Mother Saint Lieu Hanh, Ms. Princess Quynh Hoa and Ms. Princess Que Hoa.
The reason why it is called Ban Long is because this place was once the place where Lord Trinh Sam visited and left three words "Ban Long Tu", which means a stone platform of a coiled dragon. Besides, in the temple there is also a mysterious stalactite shaped like a sitting dragon. The people here tell each other a sacred story that if the dragon scales shine brightly, no matter how droughty the weather is, it will rain, so every year Ban Long Temple has a rain-praying ceremony.
There is no Tam Quan gate (usually found in Vietnam pagodas) in Ban Long Pagoda. Visitors must pass over a sophisticated stone bridge to get in the pagoda. People call this relic Ban Long because of the stalactite shaped as a sitting dragon inside the cave. People believe thatif the dragon’s scales are sparkly, rain will come in the next several daysand the drought comes to an end. When visiting Ban Long Cave, tourist can also see an ancient Buddhistic statue which was made at the beginning days of the Pagoda. The stalactites shaped as dragon, Buddha or holy animal in the rock wall have made the relic impressive and attract visitors.
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