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Pha That Luang (; "Great Stupa") is a large, gold-covered
Buddhist missionaries from the Mauryan Empire are believed to have been sent by Emperor Ashoka, including Bury Chan or Praya Chanthabury Pasithisak and five Arahanta monks, who brought a sacred relic (believed to be the breastbone) of Buddha and enshrined it into the stupa in the 3rd century BC. The structure was rebuilt in the 13th century as a Khmer temple, which fell into ruin.
In the mid-16th century, King Setthathirat relocated his capital from
Pha Than Luang stupa.jpg, Pha That Luang stupa
Pha That Luang - Vientiane (Laos) I.jpg, View of the stupa from inside the temple
That luang1.jpg, The national symbol of Laos at sunset
Pha That Luang - Vientiane (Laos) II.jpg, Nāga inside the temple
Thatluang Festival ທາດຫລວງ タート・ルアン CIMG2590.jpg, That Luang Festival (2010)
Thatluang Festival ທາດຫລວງ タート・ルアン CIMG2581.jpg, Thatluang Festival (2010)
PhaThatLuang Afterdark.jpg, That Luang stupa at night
Pha That Luang 2014.JPG, That Luang
JayavarmanVII-Vientiane.jpg, King Jayavarman VII of the Khmer Empire
Naga pha that luang1.jpg, Naga Pagoda of west Pha That Luang, October 2006
Buddhist
Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
stupa in the centre of the city of Vientiane, capital of Laos. Since its initial establishment, suggested to be in the 3rd century AD, the stupa has undergone several reconstructions, as recently as the 1930s, due to foreign invasions of the area. It is generally regarded as the most important national monument in Laos as well as a national symbol.
History
Buddhist missionaries from the Mauryan Empire are believed to have been sent by Emperor Ashoka, including Bury Chan or Praya Chanthabury Pasithisak and five Arahanta monks, who brought a sacred relic (believed to be the breastbone) of Buddha and enshrined it into the stupa in the 3rd century BC. The structure was rebuilt in the 13th century as a Khmer temple, which fell into ruin.
In the mid-16th century, King Setthathirat relocated his capital from Luang Prabang
Luang Prabang (Lao language, Lao: wikt:ຫຼວງພະບາງ, ຫຼວງພະບາງ, pronounced ), historically known as Xieng Thong (ຊຽງທອງ) and alternatively spelled Luang Phabang or Louangphabang, is the capital of Lu ...
to Vientiane and ordered the construction of the temple in 1566. It was constructed about 4 km from the centre of Vientiane, at the end of Pha That Luang Road, and named accordingly. The bases had a length of 69 metres each, and the stupa was 45 metres high, surrounded by 30 smaller stupas.
In 1641, a Dutch envoy of the Dutch East India Company, Gerrit van Wuysthoff, visited Vientiane and was received by King Sourigna Vongsa at the temple, reportedly in a magnificent ceremony. He wrote that he was particularly impressed by the "enormous pyramid...and the top was covered with gold leaf weighing about a thousand pounds". The stupa was repeatedly plundered by the Burmese, Siamese, and Chinese.
Pha That Luang was destroyed by the Thai invasion in 1828, which left it heavily damaged and abandoned. It was not until 1900 that the French restored it to its original design, based on detailed drawings from 1867 by the French architect and explorer Louis Delaporte. However, the first attempt to restore it was unsuccessful, and it had to be redesigned and then reconstructed in the 1930s. During the Franco-Thai War, Pha That Luang was heavily damaged during a Thai air raid. After the end of World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, it was reconstructed.
Architecture
The architecture of the building includes many references to Lao culture and identity, and so has become a symbol of Lao nationalism. The first level is ; the second is along each side; and the third level is along each side. From ground to pinnacle, Pha That Luang is high. Only the pinnacle is covered in real gold; the remainder of the stupa is painted a gold color. The area around Pha That Luang is now gated, to keep out traffic. Previously, visitors could drive around the whole complex. The encircling walls are roughly long on each side and contain a large number of Lao and Khmer sculptures, including one of Jayavarman VII.Gallery
See also
* Cetiya * Phra Bang * List of city squares by sizeReferences
External links
{{commons category-inline Buddhist temples in Laos National symbols of Laos Buildings and structures in Vientiane Tourist attractions in Vientiane Articles containing video clips Buddhist relics 3rd-century Buddhism 3rd-century religious buildings and structures Religious towers