Monday, January 10, 2011

Wat Xieng Thong, Wat Sen - Luang Prabang

Wat Xieng Thong is a Buddhist temple (wat), located on the northern tip of the peninsula of Luang Phrabang, Laos.
History
It was built in 1560 by King Setthathirath and was under royal patronage during the Kingdom of Laos. Like the royal palace, the wat was placed near the mekong. In 1880, the Tripitaka library was added and then the drum tower in 1961. This temple, along with Wat Suwannaphumaham, was spared by any damage during the sacking of the city in 1887. This was because the Black Flag Haw leader, Deo Van Tri, had studied here as a monk in his early life, and used it as his headquarters during the sacking of Luang Phrabang.
On one side of the sim, there are several small halls and stupas that contain Buddha images of the period. There is a reclining Buddha sanctuary, which contains a especially rare reclining Buddha that dates from the construction of the temple. In 1931, the image was taken to Paris and displayed at the Paris Exhibition and was kept in Vientiane until 1964, where it 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 meters high and there are various urns for the members of the royal family.
Today it is a popular tourist attraction.
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Wat Sen, Luang Prabang also known as Wat Sene Souk Haram is a Buddhist temple (wat), located in Luang Phrabang, Laos.
It was built in 1718 by King Kitsarath with 100,000 stones from the Mekong river. It literally means "Temple of a 100,000 treasures". It was restored in 1957 commemorating the Buddha’s birth 2500 years earlier.

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wat_Xieng_Thong,
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wat_Sen
Images: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Wat_Xieng_Thong

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