During our visit to the Ninh Van village in Ninh Binh province on the occasion of inaugurating 500 arhat statues in Bai Dinh Pagoda, we further felt the boisterous atmosphere of the stone-sculpture community where carving and sawing noises are resounding. Roads are narrowed by human-high stones. Most skilful artists gathered here to create the largest population of arhat statues in Vietnam.
Ancient straits
At the Ninh Binh Cultural Tourism Week 2008, Mr Trinh Xuan Hong, Director of Ninh Binh Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, introduced that Ninh Van is a stone sculpture village whose popularity and uniqueness goes far and wide. The stone sculpture was originated very, very long ago and experienced the ups and downs of history.
Ninh Binh province has many natural endowments, especially rough rock mountains. Ninh Van commune has Thien Duong Mountain, one of best stone ores in Vietnam. The colour of the stone is very beautiful and its surface is very smooth. From generation to generation, stone sculptors in Ninh Van commune use stones in Thien Duong Mountain to create their famous masterpieces.
Stonework from the stone sculpturing village goes nationwide. Many famous places are decorated with Ninh Van stonework, including temples of kings of Dinh and Le dynasties, Thai Vi Temple, Trinh Temple (renowned Huong Pagoda in Hanoi), Phu Giay Palace (Nam Dinh province).
Soul in stone
Top-tier artists in Ninh Van village have spent nearly 5 years to create the collection of 500 arhat statues, the largest of its kind in Vietnam. Each statue was made from rock measuring 5-6 tonnes in mass and 2.5 metres in height. Each statue required three months of work to complete. Materials were carefully selected to stay with the time.
According to an art critic, the beauty of 500 arhat statues in Bai Dinh Pagoda is of completely new style which is different from arhat statues from Tay Phuong Pagoda in Hanoi and Hoi Khanh Pagoda in Binh Duong province and is unlike arhat statues in China or India. Each arhat statue in Bai Dinh Pagoda is different from others and they carry unique moods and shapes.
Stone sculpture has been restored in Ninh Van for more than a decade. Local top artists were invited to build Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi, the statue of Ho Chi Minh President in Nghe An province and the statue of soldiers in Khong Ten hill in Thu Duc district, Ho Chi Minh City. At present, about 80 per cent of households in the village live on stone sculpture and more than 500 people are stone sculptors.
Mr Pham Ngoc Dinh, Chairman of the commune’s People’s Committee, said: Together with preserving and promoting traditional values, Ninh Van village has been familiar with the beats of the market economy. The sculpturing sound in Ninh Van will surely go further and wider.
Huong Ly
Vietnamese
