One Pillar Pagoda
The One Pillar Pagoda design originates from Hanoi,Vietnam. The original one in Vietnam was built by Emperor Ly. The pagoda was built in honor of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara. The Bodhisattva came to him in a dream and supposedly fulfilled his wish to have a child. A monk told the emperor to build the Pagoda just like he had envisioned it in his dream. The emperor followed the monks advice and did just that. The The dream of his included the Bodhisattva seated on a lotus. The Lotus Represents positivity and beauty. It grows from mercury lakes and is symbolic since it shows everyone can bloom and prosper no matter what environment may be in. It also represents purity. The original pagoda was damaged during french colonization of Vietnam by the French but was rebuilt.