Five illegal temples still open at Vietnam's Perfume Pagoda despite crackdown
HUONG SON - As pilgrims scale the steep path to
Vietnam's sacred Perfume Pagoda, many slide money into a box at
a small Buddhist altar in the Hinh Huong temple along the way,
unaware it's embroiled in a fake shrine controversy.
Officials near this famous religious and tourist site have encouraged
everyone to donate freely, assuring pilgrims that fake shrines -
illegally built by villagers as a moneymaking scam - would be shut
down.
But as thousands make the climb to pray during this year's
three-month Huong Pagoda festival season, five of 42 temples
deemed illegitimate by the federal government last year are still
running, sanctioned by local officials.
The local officials say the five temples are legitimate because they
were built by villagers more than half a century ago and have long
been used for worship. The other 37, shut down last year, were
built by individuals in the 1990s solely to make money.
Some pilgrims say they still feel cheated by the five temples
remaining open.
"I think some people had taken advantage of religion to make
money," said Nguyen Huu Thanh, visiting from Hanoi. "We've spent
a lot of time and energy to come to the pagoda to pray for
happiness and wellness for the family."
Pilgrim Nguyen Thi Thao said the government should take concrete
measures to shut down all the fake pagodas. "It's harming the
traditions of Vietnam," she said.
The Perfume Pagoda, 45 miles west of Hanoi, is one of the most
popular tourist destinations in this tightly-controlled communist
country.
The network of temples and limestone caves pulls in 300,000
visitors and an estimated $500,000 during the festival, which is part
of Vietnam's new year season.
Officials near the site are seeking federal recognition for the five
pagodas.
"They've been in the village for a long time," said Nguyen Xuan
Sinh, deputy chairman of the area's People's Committee.
No one has been charged with any crime. Villagers who built fake
shrines - and sometimes dressed up as monks - have even asked
to be compensated for religious statues and other paraphernalia
confiscated from the sites, Sinh said.
Some villagers freely admit they took advantage of phony shrines.
Nguyen Duy Tan, of nearby Yen Vi village, said his small tea and
fruit stand off the main trail boomed after fellow villagers invented a
myth about a nearby rock that resembled a fish transforming into a
dragon - and put up a nearby altar to collect money.
Tan said the fake site brought in about $670 a year during its nine
years of operation.
"A lot of people came and believed it," he said, pointing to the rock
formation.
By Margie Mason - The Associated Press - February 07, 2003.
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