Wat Xieng Thong ( lo, ວັດຊຽງທອງ; "Temple of the Golden City") is a

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

(vat or

wat A wat ( km, វត្ត, ; lo, ວັດ, ; th, วัด, ; khb, 「ᩅᨯ᩠ᨰ」(waD+Dha); nod, 「ᩅ᩠ᨯ᩶」（w+Da2)) is a type of Buddhist temple and Hindu temple in Cambodia, Laos, East Shan State, Yunnan, the Southern Provi ...

) on the northern tip of the peninsula of

Luang Phrabang Luang Phabang, ( Lao: ຫລວງພະບາງ/ ຫຼວງພະບາງ) or ''Louangphabang'' (pronounced ), commonly transliterated into Western languages from the pre-1975 Lao spelling ຫຼວງພຣະບາງ (ຣ = silent r) ...

Laos Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...

.Lall, Vikram. ''The Golden Lands: Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand & Vietnam / Vikram Lall ; Editorial Direction Joan Foo Mahony.'' New York, NY: Abbeville Press Publishers. Print. Built between 1559 to 1560 by King

Setthathirath Setthathirath ( lo, ເສດຖາທິຣາດ; 24 January 1534 – 1571) or Xaysettha ( lo, ໄຊເສດຖາ; th, ไชยเชษฐาธิราช, , ) is considered one of the great leaders in Lao history. Throughout the 1560s ...

, Wat Xieng Thong is one of the most important of Lao monasteries and remains a significant monument to the spirit of religion, royalty and traditional art.

Etymology

The name Vat Xieng Thong (Lao: ວັດຊຽງທອງ), means "Temple of the Golden City."Stuart-Fox, Martin, and Kooyman, Mary. ''Historical Dictionary of Laos / by Martin Stuart-Fox and Mary Kooyman.'' Metuchen, N.J: Scarecrow Press. Print. In Lao, wat, or vat, means Buddhist temple; these buildings are central to the life of Laotian communities.LeBar, Frank M., and Suddard, Adrienne. ''Laos: Its People, Its Society, Its Culture / by the Staff and Associates of the Human Relations Area Files ; Editors: Frank M. LeBar, Adrienne Suddard.'' New Haven: HRAF Press. Print.

History

Wat Xieng Thong was built under the rule of King

between 1559 and 1560.''World and Its Peoples: Eastern and Southern Asia''. Vol. 6, Marshall Cavendish, 2007. Setthathirath oversaw the

Lan Xang existed as a unified kingdom from 1353 to 1707. For three and a half centuries, Lan Xang was one of the largest kingdoms in Southeast Asia. The meaning of the kingdom's name alludes to the power of the kingship and formidable war machine of the ea ...

("Land of a Million Elephants") kingdom, a geographical area that is now Laos. During his rule, Setthathirath moved the capital from Xieng Thong (which was later renamed Luang Prabang) to Vientiane, claiming dislike for the lack of flat land in Xieng Thong. But, Luang Prabang remained a royal capital until 1975, when the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR) was established. Vat Xieng Thong was a royal temple under the patronage of the royal family (until the creation of the LPDR), created alongside Vat Keo and Vat That Luang. The vat functioned as a place for kings to be crowned, a place of worship for monks and the laity, a shrine to Buddhist relics, a celebration space of religious rites and festivals, a library for ancient scripts, and a showcasing of traditional architecture.

Architecture

Site

Vat Xieng Thong is located in Luang Prabang, Laos. Luang Prabang means "the place of the Buddha," for the sacred image of Buddha from which kings would derive their divine right. The city is between the

Mekong The Mekong or Mekong River is a trans-boundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's List of rivers by length, twelfth longest river and List of longest rivers of Asia, the third longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , ...

and

Nam Khan The Nam Khan ( Lao: ນ້ຳຄານ) is a river in Laos that is a major tributary of the river Mekong, with which it joins at Luang Prabang Luang Phabang, ( Lao: ຫລວງພະບາງ/ ຫຼວງພະບາງ) or ''Louangphaba ...

rivers, and according to UNESCO, contains some of "the most sophisticated Buddhist temples in Southeast Asia.""Town of Luang Prabang." ''UNESCO World Heritage Centre'', United Nations, https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/479/. Luang Prabang was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995.

Style and Features

The vat represents typical Laos art and craft. A Sim is the central shrine hall of a Laotian temple. Vat Xieng Thong's Sim is composed of nine cascading roofs and is decorated by gold stenciling. The roofs are a central element of the structure, sweeping downward in an elaborate array. Along the center of the roof is the Dok So Fa, small pagodas covered in gold that hook upwards to the sky. The number of pagodas and overall detail of this floral sculpture signifies the relative importance of a Laotian temple. On one side of the sim, there are small halls and stupas that contain Buddha images of the period. There is a reclining Buddha sanctuary, which contains an especially rare reclining Buddha that dates back to the construction of the temple. In 1931, the image was taken to France and displayed at the Paris Exhibition. It was kept in Vientiane until 1964, when it was returned to Luang Phrabang. In the near compound's eastern gate stands the royal funerary carriage house, where it houses the funeral carriage, which stands 12 metres high and there are various urns for the members of the royal family. The interior of the Sim is similarly adorned by gold stenciling. Rich red and black walls are decorated completely with gold stencils of mythological scenes and geometric design. The ceiling displays

Dharmachakra The dharmachakra (Sanskrit: धर्मचक्र; Pali: ''dhammacakka'') or wheel of dharma is a widespread symbol used in Indian religions such as Hinduism, Jainism, and especially Buddhism.John C. Huntington, Dina Bangdel, ''The Circle o ...

s — dharma wheels symbolising Buddhist law and the circle of reincarnation. The rear gable is decorated with a glass mosaic depicting the tree of life. Behind the Sim is the Sanctuary of the Reclining Buddha, a small chapel decorated with mosaics and featuring a large Buddhist statue. Many other structures fill the compound and complement the Sim, including the Kouti, Ho Tai, and Hor Kong, the library, monk living space, and boat house, respectively.

Wat Xieng Thong Today

Restoration and Conservation

A number of restorations have taken place to maintain the temple, which remains in remarkable condition since its creation in the 1500s.Heywood, Denise. "Luang Prabang Temple Renovation." ''Asian Art Newspaper'', Badur Foundation, 1 Sept. 2013, https://www.badurfoundation.org/news/luang-prabang-temple-renovation#. In 1928, when the French Governor General visited Luang Prabang, King Sisavangvong successfully demanded that the French share in the cost of restoration, as Laos was a French protectorate from 1893–1953. In the 1950s and 1960s, the funerary carriage house was built. Renovations in 2012 and 2013 involved carefully cleaning the building, repainting the gold stencils, restoring damaged tiles and doors and windows, and repainting walls. Interestingly, scholars have noted that in the mid 20th century, "America aid to Laos is higher, on a per capita basis, than that granted by the United States to any other country." In 1880, the

Tripiṭaka ''Tipiṭaka'' () or ''Tripiṭaka'' () or ''තිපිටක'' (), meaning "Triple Basket", is the traditional term for ancient collections of Buddhist sacred scriptures. The Pāli Canon maintained by the Theravāda tradition in ...

library was added and the drum tower in 1961. This temple, along with Wat Suwannaphumaham, was spared any damage during the sacking of the city in 1887. This was because the Black Flag

Haw Haw or HAW may refer to: Fruit * many species of hawthorn (''Crataegus'') ** Haw flakes, Chinese sweets made from the fruit of the Chinese hawthorn, ''Crataegus pinnatifida'' * several species of ''Viburnum'', including: ** '' Viburnum rufidulu ...

leader,

Đèo Văn Trị Đèo Văn Trị ( vi-hantu, 刁文持, 1849 – 1908 in Lai Châu) also known as his Lao name Cam Oum (or Khamhum, lo, ຄຳອຸ້ມ), was the White Tai leader at Muang Lay in the Sip Song Chau Tai or Federation of the Twelve Tai stat ...

, had studied here as a monk in his early life and used it as his headquarters during the sacking of Luang Phrabang. A small entrance fee of 20,000 kip is payable.

Gallery

File:Wat Xieng Thong Laos I.jpg, Wat Xieng Thong Sim File:Wat Xieng Thong Laos II.jpg, Funeral chapel File:Wat Xieng Thong golden wall.jpg, Golden outer wall of Wat Xieng Thong File:Wat Xieng Thong Laos inside.jpg, The inside of Wat Xieng Thong File:Wat Xieng Thong Laos inside II.jpg, Buddha statue inside of Wat Xieng Thong File:Wat Xieng Thong Laos ceremonial barge.jpg, The naga on the ceremonial barge File:Buddhist monks cleaning the yard at Wat Xieng Thong temple.jpg, Young Buddhist monk pushing a hand cart to join others busy cleaning the yard

References

External links

* {{Coord, 19, 53, 51, N, 102, 8, 35, E, type:landmark, display=title Buddhist temples in Laos Buildings and structures in Luang Prabang Religious buildings and structures completed in 1560 16th-century Buddhist temples