One Pillar Pagoda (Chua Mot Cot) was built by the Emperor Ly Thai Tong, who ruled from 1028 to 1054. According to the annals, the hairless emperor dreamed that he had met Quan The Am Bo Tat (Goddess of Mercy), who, while seated on a lotus flower, handed him a male child. Ly Thai Tong then married a young peasant girl he met by chance and had a son and heir by her. To express his gratitude for this event, he constructed the One Pillar Pagoda in 1049. The One Pillar Pagoda, built of wood on a single stone pillar 1.25m indiameter, is designed to resemble a lotus blossom, symbol of purity, risingout of a sea of sorrow. One of the last acts of the French before quitting Hanoi in 1954 was to destroy the One Pillar Pagoda; the structure was built by the new government.
Opening time: The pagoda is open daily from 8 a.m to 5 p.m. Entrance is free.
Note: Remember to wear full-length clothes when you visit any pagoda.
