SOC TRANG – The last days of the year, monks in Som Rong pagoda clean, prune trees, and display flowers to prepare for the new year.

On the 26th of the lunar calendar (February 7, 2021), the monks at Som Rong pagoda gathered to clean the temple grounds, bringing a bustling Tet atmosphere. The pagoda is located at 367, Ton Duc Thang street, ward 5, Soc Trang city. This is a famous spiritual tourist destination of Soc Trang province, with unique Khmer architecture built in 1785.

A corner of the temple grounds has a green color of woody plants and ornamental pots shaped to radiate.

The monks pruning and clearing the leaves proficiently like those who specialize in caring for ornamental flowers.

Su Minh (right) is studying at the temple and two other monks stripped the four precious apricot trees. Quaternary apricot is a typical perennial tree playing Tet in the South, the older it is, the more beautiful and precious the new.

Behind the monks is the stupa, one of the most visited places by tourists at Som Rong pagoda. The stupa has four directions and four paths representing love, compassion, joy and discharge. Along the two sides of the path leading to the stupa are decorated with Naga serpent images and Khmer patterns. In the tower is the statue of Buddha Shakyamuni sitting in meditation.

The highlight of the temple is the outdoor Nirvana Buddha statue measuring 63 m long, 22.5 m high and weighing 490 tons, one of the largest reclining Buddha statues in Vietnam today. The statue was started construction in October 2017, until now, the paint has been completed.

On the days of Tet, the Buddhists bought marigold flower pots to decorate at different positions in the temple grounds, bringing spring colors and for people and visitors to enjoy.

Marigold flower pots are decorated at the entrance to the monastery.

“Every day the monks clean the temple grounds, on the days bordering the New Year is the peak cleaning and most of the work is done by the monks themselves. This is a typical routine at the Khmer pagoda, ”said Venerable Lam Binh Thanh, deputy head of Som Rong pagoda.

In the temple there is a sala building, inaugurated on January 31, 2017. This architectural block is bold in the tradition of Khmer pagodas, combining modernity and unique color schemes, creating a unique highlight for the campus.

Huynh Phuong/vnexpress