Over 100km from Ho Chi Minh City, the 986m Ba Den Mountain, formerly known as Mount Mot, is considered a symbol of Tay Ninh province. Legend has it that in Mount Mot area, there was a beautiful woman named Ly Thi Thien Huong who often went to the mountain to worship Buddha on the full moon day. One day she was seized by robbers and later rescued by a man named Le Si Triet. She fell in love with him. But before their wedding, the man had to join the army and go to the battle field.
When Ly Thi Thien Huong went up to the mountain to worship, she was again was seized by a bad guy who wanted to have her as a concubine. The lady jumped down into a ravine to keep her virginity. After her death, Ly Thi Thien Huong entered the dream of the abbot of a pagoda on Mount Mot to tell him to collect her body for burying. After that, she appeared in the dreams of the monk and local people as a girl to inform them of natural disasters and show them how to fight against wild animals. In response to her merit, the abbot and local residents made her statue for worship. They called her Ba Den (Lady Black). Since then, the name of the mountain has been called after her name.
The Ba Den Pagoda system today, also known as Linh Son Tien Thach Tu, is located in the middle of the mountain at an altitude of 350m, consisting of the oldest temples in Tay Ninh such as Ba Pagoda, Hang Pagoda, Dong Hoang Chung, Trung Pagoda, Moi pagoda… about 300 years old. These are spiritual works associated with the religious life of the local people, attracting millions of visitors every year.
Mount Ba Den also marks the highest peak in the South with the Van Son peak of 986m. Covered by white clouds all year round, this mountain is where visitors come not only for pilgrimage but also for viewing the clouds and enjoying the beautiful scenery.
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Doan Phong
