User:Dragfyre/Sandbox/Huyen Khong Cave

Hoa Nghiem and Huyen Khong Caves: In the rear of the pagoda there is an old limestone gate carved with three Chinese character meaning 'Huyen Khong Gate'. The entrance leads to Hoa Nghiem and Huyen Khong caves.

Hoa Nghiem Cave has one standing statue of a Bodhisattva. The cool air inside the high but not deep cave refreshes visitors after passing 156 stone steps.

Huyen Khong Cave connects with Hoa Nghiem Cave. Lying inside the mountain, this 15m high cave has five large holes at the top through which sunlight radiates and combines with incense smoke to bring about an ethereal and calm atmosphere. The cave’s floor is flat.

Inside there is the Thach Nhu Coc cave. This is a small cave with two stone breasts. It is said that on a visit to this place, King Thanh Thai rubbed one of the stone breasts. Since then, water has never dripped of it. A large statue of Buddha was erected at the back, opposite the entrance. This is the sacred temple of Trang Nghiem.

The limestone formation on Huyen Khong cave’s sides has been formed over time. There are many strange shapes such as elephant heads and an ostrich. On the left visitors can see a small hollow, inside is a stone that sounds like a drum when it is tapped.

Exit the canyon and pass through a battle-scarred masonry gate. There's a rocky path to the right, which goes to Linh Nham, a tall chimney-shaped cave with a small altar inside. Nearby, another path leads to Hoa Nghiem, a shallow cave with a Buddha inside. If you go down the passageway to the left of the Buddha, you come to cathedral-like Huyen Khong Cave, lit by an opening to the sky. The entrance to this spectacular chamber is guarded by two administrative mandarins (to the left of the doorway) and two military mandarins (to the right).

Scattered about the cave are Buddhist and Confucian shrines; note the inscriptions carved into the stone walls. On the right a door leads to two stalactites, dripping water that comes from heaven, according to local legend. Actually, only one stalactite drips; the other one supposedly ran dry when Emperor Tu Duc touched it. During the American War this chamber was used by the VC as a field hospital. Inside is a plaque dedicated to the Women's Artillery Group, which destroyed 19 US aircraft from a base below the mountains in 1972.

There are several grottos and cave pagodas in the mountain which are marked by steps cut into the rock. The Tam Thai Pagoda, reached by a staircase cut into the mountain, is on the site of a much older Cham place of worship. Constructed in 1825 by Minh Mang, and subsequently rebuilt, the central statue is of the Buddha Sakyamuni (the historic Buddha) flanked by the Bodhisattva Quan Am (a future Buddha and the Goddess of Mercy), and a statue of Van Thu (symbolizing wisdom). At the rear of the grotto is another cave, the Huyen Khong Cave. Originally a place of animist worship, it later became a site for Buddhist pilgrimage. The entrance is protected by four door guardians. The high ceiling of the cave is pierced by five holes through which the sun filters and, in the hour before midday, illuminates the central statue of the BUddha Sakyamuni. In the cave are various natural rock formations which, if you have picked up one of the young cave guides along the way, will be pointed out as being stork-like birds, elephants, an arm, a fish and a face.