Nhat Tru pagoda is located in Truong Yen commune, Hoa Lu district, Ninh Binh province. In the grounds of the ancient temple, there is a stone Buddhist scripture column with many unique cultural, spiritual and artistic values, the first artifact in Ninh Binh to be recognized as a national treasure.
Nhat Tru Pagoda is located on an area of over 3,000m² and belongs to Hoa Lu Ancient Capital Relic Complex. It was built in the Pre-Le Dynasty according to the architecture in the shape of Han character 丁 (Dinh), including sanctum, ancestor house, living room, dinning room, stupas, etc. The pagoda’s roof is covered by titles and decorated with flanking dragons. The sanctum has Buddha statues which are red-lacquered and trimmed with gold.
Nhat Tru Pagoda has preserved a stone pillar carved with Buddhist scriptures. It’s also called Lang Nghiem Pillar and was in 995. The 4.16m-high and 4.5 ton-weigh octagonal pillar is completely assembled by 6 stone parts without adhesives. The pillar’s body are carved Buddhist scriptures in Han characters with the contents of praising Buddhism and the talents of Shakyamuni Buddha.
Nhat Tru Pagoda is also the place where festival activities imbued with national cultural identity are taken place. With outstanding values preserved over the past 1000 years, the pagoda has been ranked as a national historical and cultural relic by the Ministry of Culture and Information in 1998. Especially in December 2015, the stone pillar of Nhat Tru Pagoda was recognized as a National Treasure by the Prime Minister.