It was built by Ly Thuy Long, a native of Minh Huong, in the spring of 1744, ie, during the season of the Vietnamese new year, during the reign of Nguyen Phuc Khoat of the Nguyen lords, then the ruling family of southern
Vietnam. The history chronicles of Gia
Dinh, the then name of the settlement that later became
Saigon and then Ho Chi Minh City, written by
Trinh Hoai Duc describes the area as being quite undeveloped at the time, with dense foliage resembling a jungle. The area was surrounded by flower gardens. In its formative years, the temple was a gathering place during the Tet new year and the temple was a scenic lookout on a hill overlooking the Gia
Dinh market.
In 1772, Thich Vien Quang of the Lam
Te Zen lineage arrive to become the abbot of the temple. From then on, the temple was known by its current name of Giac
Lam. The temple has gone through many periods of renovation and reconstruction. The first notable period of renovation took place between 1799 and 1804, when Thich Vien Quang allowed the total reconstruction of the temple. From 1906 until 1909, Thich Hong Hung, with the assistance of Thich Nhu
Phong, organised for a second total renovation and rebuilding of the temple. The history of these renovations is recorded and is on display in the main hall of the temple. |
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