A Study on the Tay Ninh Holy Tower of Caodaism in Vietnam: The Axis Mundi and Cosmic Cross Represented by the Temple

Abstract

This paper aims to discuss the Tay Ninh Holy Tower, the first and the most important temple of Caodaism in Vietnam. This temple is located in Tay Ninh in southwestern Vietnam, approximately 90km to the northwest of Ho Chi Minh City. Caodaism is one of the most special religions in Vietnam, as it originated in this country and can be seen as a combination of many other religions including Buddhism, Taoism, Catholic, etc. Consequently, Caodaism has also been strongly influenced by the theological and ideological ideas of these different religions. On the basis of the paradigm of ‘architecture as a representation of realities’, this paper tries to analyze the complicated relationship between the architectural form of the Tay Ninh Holy Tower and the religious ideas of Caodaism. The ground plan, the façade, the spatial arrangement, the layout, the decorations and the symbols of different parts of this building can all be seen as representations of various cosmic, religious, social and political realities. In this paper, the analysis frame of the ‘Axis Mundi & Cosmic Cross’ is applied for the exploration of the significant meanings of the Tay Ninh Holy Tower.