Linh Phước Temple (Vietnamese: Chùa Linh Phước, Chữ Hán: 靈福寺, pronounced as /vi/), also known as Ve Chai Temple, is located at No. 120 Tu Phuoc, Trai Mat District, Vietnam, 8 km from Da Lat city center, on Highway 20. The 49-meter-long dragon temple is made of 12,000 bottles; the dragon's head is 7 metres high.[1] Linh Phuoc Pagoda is considered a special architectural mosaic of Da Lat city.[2] [3]
Construction on the temple was started in 1949, and completed in 1952. In 1990, Ven. Thich Tam Vi restored the temple and built more new buildings.[4]
Linh Phuoc Pagoda has had five abbots over the course of its history:
The 33 m long and 12-metre wide main hall features 2 rows of cobblestone mosaics. On top of it are many mosaic bas-reliefs featuring the history of Shakyamuni and the histories of the Lotus Sutras. The temple grounds (Hoa Long Vien) have a dragon of length 49 m, the dragon enclosure is made of 12,000 beer bottles, and the dragon mouth covers the Maitreya Buddha. In front of the temple grounds is a 37 m high seven-storeyed tower, which is considered the highest temple bell tower in Vietnam.[5] In the heart of the Dai Hong Chung tower is a 4.3 m high bell that is considered the heaviest bell in Vietnam; it is 2.33 m wide, weighs 8,500 kg, and was cast in 1999. In front of the temple is Quan The Am. There is also a gem display, antique chinaware and fine art furniture.[3]