Vietnam orders fake temples be shut down
HANOI - Vietnamese
authorities have ordered the owners of
42 fake temples at a famous pilgrimage
site to demolish their shrines or turn
them over to authorities by Saturday.
The move comes in response to public
outcry that the false temples were a blight
on the famed Perfume Pagoda, officials in
the northern province of Ha Tay said
Friday.
A cluster of Buddhist temples built into
limestone cliffs, the Perfume Pagoda, or
Chua Huong, attracts a half million visitors
during the three-month New Year season.
Unscrupulous entrepreneurs set up the
fake temples to lure unsuspecting pilgrims
and needle them for donations.
Last week, the 32 operators signed agreements to meet the Saturday deadline, said
Le Van Nguyen, deputy chair of the People's Committee of My Duc district. Since
no temples had yet been destroyed, it's likely they will be handed over to authorities,
he said.
Nguyen said most of the fake temples will be
demolished before the new pilgrimage season starts.
Others may be renovated into rest areas for pilgrims.
In the past, three villagers have been sentenced to
probation for setting up fake temples, Nguyen said.
The Perfume Pagoda, 70 kilometers (45 miles) west
of Hanoi, is one of Vietnam's most popular sites.
Thirty-one temples and caves are recognized as
historical relics in the Perfume Pagoda area, where
people go to pray for good health and prosperity.
The Associated Press - December 14, 2001.
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