Churches in Hanoi

I visited two churches in Hanoi. There aren't many non-Buddhist / Taoist places of worship in Hanoi, for obvious reasons. 

One was St. Joseph's Cathedral, the oldest in the city. It was built by the French in 1886 supposedly styled after the famous Notre Dame in Paris. It's located in the midst of a bustling shopping area near Hoan Kiem Lake with a number of cafes, restaurants, shops surrounding it. 

The facade of the cathedral looked unimpressive even though it was of imposing proportions. But once I entered the cathedral, it was a whole different matter. Richly carved altars and beautiful stained glass peppered the interiors. 

The imposing facade of St. Joseph's Cathedral

The little square in front of the church with a statue
of Mary & baby Jesus. The inscription reads
'Regina Pacis' (Queen of Peace)

A view from the side - one of the two towers & another statue

Interior of the cathedral

The main altar

An altar on the left side, inside the cathedral

An altar on the right side, inside the cathedral

Beautiful stained glass windows

Some more pretty stained glass

Interesting features outside the cathedral - a mural
depicting scenes from the holy scriptures. Also seen is Vietnam's
ubiquitous jumble of wires. Below: An old, beautiful bonsai.

A pretty French-colonial style building in the cathedral
premises. Probably, the administrative offices and/ or
residence of the officials of the cathedral.

The second was the picturesque Cua Bac Church. It was built in 1932 by the French under the supervision of renowned architect and urban planner Ernest Hébrard.The church is located at the Northern Gate (Cua Bac) of the ancient Thang Long citadel hence its name. Unlike St. Joseph's Cathedral, this church has a prettier exterior but a simpler, roomier interior full of light and space.

The church facade, bright & welcoming

Interior - simple & calming

The main altar

Stained glass of Biblical figures in the church.
There were a only a few as compared to
St. Joseph's Cathedral.

Play of light & shadow on the pristine white walls

One of the murals in the Stations of the Cross

Grotto surrounded by greenery & covered
with flowering vines 

Two views of the prominent window in the church facade

More ageless bonsai

West Lake & its environs

I am in a 'retro' mood and plan to post a few from my previous trips. In a way, I'll also be closing my series on Vietnam and my North East India travels. Here, I'm continuing with my travel through Hanoi. 

Hồ Tây as the West Lake is known in Vietnamese is semi-circular and has a long, long... shoreline (Wikipedia reports it as 17 Km). It's the largest among the many lakes that dot the city. It has neat promenades and recreational centres along its banks, making it a popular place for the residents to unwind and relax. 

The West Lake's boundaries
(credit: Google Maps)

Further shores of the lake

People relaxing along the promenade

'Swans' resting at the recreational centre

The West Lake's banks are also home to two very significant places of worship. 

The Quán Thánh temple is one of the four sacred temples built at the four corners of the old city to protect it from malevolent spirits. Quán Thánh protects the northern borders. Today, Hanoi has outgrown those borders and the temples have been absorbed by this ever expanding city. 

The picturesque entrance to the temple

Beautiful idols of holy animal symbols

Incense offerings to the deity

Antique wall murals on the sides of the main building

The main deity (top) & other altars within

Quán Thánh was built in the 11th century and is dedicated to the Taoist deity of the North. 

Artefacts & ancient bonsai

A smaller shrine within the premises

The entrance from the inside

Trấn Quốc Pagoda is dedicated to Buddhism and is said to have been built in the 6th century. It was originally built on the banks of the Red river but when the river changed course and threatened to flood it, the pagoda was shifted to the banks of the lake. It lies on off a small strip of land that separates the larger lake body from the smaller one. 

The pagoda as seen from the causeway

The Trấn Quốc Pagoda is defined by the tall red tower which is built in tiers. Each tier has tiny alcoves with white statues of the Buddha in them. All around it are smaller shrines. This is a living pagoda where monks continue to reside and pray. 

The beautiful gateway to the pagoda complex

The red tower seen amongst the
smaller shrines

Courtyard in front of the main building

One of the shrines inside

Other ornate altars inside the main building

One of the altars had lots of photos pasted on a wooden board with offerings placed in front. I am not entirely sure, but it seemed to be an altar for ancestor worship which the Vietnamese believe in. Earlier, tablets represented each ancestor but now it seems technology has replaced them with photographs. 

Altar for ancestor worship (I think)

Interestingly, there are two familiar sights from back home in this complex - magnificient peepal trees! One inside and one just in front of the entrance. The one inside has grown from a branch taken from the original Bodhi tree in Bodhgaya, Bihar. It was gifted in 1959 by the then President of India, Dr. Rajendra Prasad. The one outside the entrance is an offshoot of the gift. A gift that keeps on growing. ;) Pun intended. 

The Bodhi (peepal) tree in the courtyard

Interesting features in the pagoda

The West Lake too has many small parks in its vicinity. I've mentioned two notable ones here, in my opinion, mainly because of the imagery they contained. One park is the memorial to soldiers of the Vietnamese army that fought in the 1940's. The other is a memorial to the anti-French revolutionary, Lý Tự Trọng, executed when he was 17 years old for assaulting French officials. The images are larger than life and strangely awe-inspiring in their proportions. 

Maybe, that was the intent of the creators. 

Memorial to Vietnamese revolutionaries

Memorial to the teenage martyr

Hồ Tây, one of the pleasanter areas of the bustling capital city and where I enjoyed spending some quiet moments. 

Fishermen at work

It has been over a year since I was in Tharangambadi (read my earlier posts here) but I still have some great memories of the trip. 

Dansborg Fort with the fishing boats on the beach

One of my most persistent memories was of the fisher-folk who lived along the beach. In the early hours of the morning they would shove off their boats and return sometime mid-morning with whatever they had caught. The fish was then taken to the larger market towns like Karaikal where it would fetch a better price. 

I wonder what their lives must be like. Dependent on the benevolence of the sea, each day is uncertain. One day the sea can offer up a fabulous catch while another day a not so good one or maybe the weather will play spoil sport. Incidentally, this stretch of the coast was the main affected area in the 2004 tsunami. 

Old brick walls eroded by the sea or damaged
in the tsunami or maybe both

As I stood watching, these hardworking fisherfolk went about their work with single-minded focus. They had to make sure the fish reached the markets as soon as possible, especially on a warm, sunny day. They cheerfully answered my questions but conversing wasn't easy because of the language. In a couple of hours all the fish had been unloaded, sorted and carted away. Just a few men remained behind, tidying the nets for the next day's trip out. 

A closer view of the boats near the fort

Unloading the catch (of fish) from the boat

Fish all tangled up, waiting to be sorted

Bringing the boat in

Fishermen resting and mending the nets
in readiness for the next trip

My sojourn in Tranquebar was short but sweet. The tranquil sea and the soporific effect of waves washing against the shore might have enticed me to stay on longer. 

Besides the usual sight seeing, it's the little things like watching life go by, listening to the sounds of nature, the physical journey by road or train (by air, not so much!) which makes travelling so much more interesting and enriching. Don't you think?

Nature taking back its lost ground