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

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 ...

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...

(vat or

wat A wat (, ; , ; , ; ; , ) is a type of Buddhist and Hindu temple in Cambodia, Laos, East Shan State (Myanmar), Yunnan (China), the Southern Province of Sri Lanka, and Thailand. Etymology The word ''wat'' is borrowed from the Sanskrit ''v ...

) on the northern tip of the peninsula of

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 ...

Laos Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...

.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 and 1560 by King

Setthathirath Setthathirath (; 24 January 1534 – 1571) or Xaysettha (; , , ) is considered one of the great leaders in Lao history. Throughout the 1560s until his death, he successfully defended his kingdom of Lan Xang against military campaigns of Burmese ...

, 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 Lan Xang () or Lancang was a Lao people, Lao kingdom that held the area of present-day Laos from 1353 to 1707. For three and a half centuries, Lan Xang was one of the largest kingdoms in Southeast Asia. The kingdom is the basis for Laos's nat ...

("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 transboundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's twelfth-longest river and the third-longest in Asia with an estimated length of and a drainage area of , discharging of wat ...

and Nam Khan 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 Prabang. In the near compound's eastern gate stands the royal funerary carriage house, where it houses the funeral carriage, which stands 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, ) or wheel of dharma is a symbol used in the Dharmic religions. It has a widespread use in Buddhism.John C. Huntington, Dina Bangdel, ''The Circle of Bliss: Buddhist Meditational Art,'' p. ...

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 September 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 to 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, In 1880, the

Tripiṭaka There are several Buddhist canons, which refers to the various scriptural collections of Buddhist sacred scriptures or the various Buddhist scriptural canons.

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 leader, Đèo Văn Trị, had studied here as a monk in his early life and used it as his headquarters during the sacking of Luang Phrabang. In January 2024, the entrance fee to the temple was 20,000 kip.

Gallery

File:20191212 Wat Xieng Thong temple-1.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:20191212 Wat Xieng Thong Buddhist statue-1.jpg, The inside of Wat Xieng Thong File:20191212 Wat Xieng Thong Buddhist statue-2.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

*{{Commons category-inline, Wat Xieng Thong Buddhist temples in Laos Buildings and structures in Luang Prabang Religious buildings and structures completed in 1560 16th-century Buddhist temples