visiting vientiane - introduction to the famous buddhist sites

Vientiane, the capital of Laos is one of Southeast Asia’s smaller capitals with a population of just 800.000. A legend says that the city was created by a dragon named Naga Souvannanak. It was established as capital in 1563 and heavily destroyed by the Siamese in 1828.

Vientiane literally means “City of Sandalwood.” Its spelling is of French origin and pronounced “Vieng Chan”

Religion in Laos:- 70% Theravada Buddhists- 27% Animism (ancient beliefs)- 2% Christian- 1% Muslims

Pha That Luang:

Also known as the ‘Great Stupa’ or Wat That Luang, it is the most sacred monument in Laos and one of the holiest ones for Buddhists.

It is believed that Indian missionaries sent by King Ashok around the 3rd century brought a breastbone of Buddha to Vientiane.

The temple’s base is 69m by 69m and 45m high. Its stupa can be seen from plenty of surrounding

places.

It has been submitted to the Tentative List of UNESCO World Heritage Sites

The temple has been built in 1818 (restored in 1935) and is considered as Vientiane’s oldest surviving Buddhist monastery and one of the few that were not destroyed by the invasion of Siamese armies in 1828, probably due to its Siamese style.

That Dam

The Black Stupa

Since Vientiane has been destroyed in 1828, it is believed that a seven headed dragon (Naga) lives here as a guardian for the citizen of the city. The stupa was once covered in pure gold, but pillaged

by the Siamese during the Siamese-Lao war, leaving the stupa almost entirely black

Wat Haw Phra Kaew:

Built in the 16th century by King Setthathirat as temple for the

legendary Emerald Buddha figurine and now serves as museum.

The sacred jade statue has been brought from Chiang Mai, then the capital of the

kingdom of Lanna, but taken back by the Siamese in 1778 and now sits at

the Wat Phra Kaew (hence the same name) in Bangkok.

Wat Si Muang:

Buddha Park:

Established in 1958 by a priest-shamannamed Bunleua Sulilat, it portrays over

200 Buddhist and Hindu sculptures.

Boun That Luang Festival:

Laos’ most important festival is held every November for three night and three days, to pay respect to the stupa of Wat That Luang and to enjoy the colourful event that includes parades, live music and religious ceremonies.

Welcome to Vientiane!

Photo Sources:

Slide 1 – Wat Si Saket via Flickr by Egui_: http://bit.ly/1nMLo3H Slide 2 – Lao Culture Centre via flickr by Daniel Hoherd : http://bit.ly/1oZGkbDSlide 3 - Patuxay via Flickr by Philip Roeland : http://bit.ly/1pdSRH3Slide 4 - Pha That Luang Gate via Flickr by Matteo : http://bit.ly/1qKjXXxSlide 5 - Pha That Luang at night via Flickr by Matt Werner : http://bit.ly/1nOD2smSlide 6 - Pha That Luang via Flickr by Mark Bellingham : http://bit.ly/1t8X8xXSlide 7 - Pha That Luang via Flickr by Mark Bellingham : http://bit.ly/1t8X8xX King Ashok via Wikimedia by Live-and-LearnSlide 8 – Pha That Luang via Wikimedia by Jialiang GaoSlide 9 - Pha That Luang via Flickr by FullyFunctnlPhil : http://bit.ly/1qKr6HjSlide 10 - Wat Si Saket via Flickr by Andrew Newdigate : http://bit.ly/1oMKK2CSlide 11 – Wat Si Saket via Flickr by Anguskirk: http://bit.ly/1nVXUhv Slide 12 - That Dam via Flickr by Lovebooks42 : http://bit.ly/WjYR9g That Dam via Flickr by Andreas Bossard : http://bit.ly/1qi9Ay4Slide 13 - That Dam via Flickr by Philip Roeland : http://bit.ly/UczJzbSlide 14 - Wat Haw Phra Kaew via Flickr by Dan Searle http://bit.ly/1nHjMIz Slide 15 - Wat Haw Phra Kaew via Flickr by Jay Joslin: http://bit.ly/1rb7qyf Slide 16 - Wat Phra Kaew via Flickr by Baron Reznik :http://bit.ly/1zSWGIRSlide 17 - Wat Si Muang via Flickr by Anannya Deb: http://bit.ly/1qmBqct Slide 18 - Wat Si Muang via Flickr by Anannya Deb : http://bit.ly/1jTPPucSlide 19 - Buddha Park via Flickr by Andrew Newdigate: http://bit.ly/1mWm9LySlide 20 - Buddha Park via Flickr by Hanoi Mark :http://bit.ly/1jzFL99Slide 21 – That Luang Festival Vientiane Laos via Wikimedia by Jialiang GaoSlide 22 - Boun That Luang Festival via fotopedia : http://bit.ly/Ue2TOQSlide 23 - The Standing Buddha of Oudamxay via Flickr by Collin Key : http://bit.ly/1rjGPASSlide 24 – Mekong River via Flickr Collin Key : http://bit.ly/1rjHja4