The Best of Cambodia & Laos

Wat Ong Teu Mahawihan Wat Ong Teu is in a particularly propitious place. It is
surrounded by four temples: Wat Inpeng to the north, Wat Mixay to the south, Wat
Haysok to the east, and Wat Chan to the west. It is named after a huge bronze Buddha
(ongteu) in the sim (ordination hall). It’s a mighty 5.8m (19 ft.) high. It is why it is called
“Temple of the Heavy Buddha.” It is also known for its beautifully carved wooden facade.
The temple was first constructed in the early 16th century during the reign of King
Setthathirat. Like almost every other temple in Vientiane it was destroyed in later wars
with the Thais. The temple was then rebuilt in the 19th and 20th centuries. Wat Ong
Teu Mahawihan is also the home base of the Patriarch of Lao Buddhism and serves as a
center for Buddhist studies.
Setthathirath.
Wat Si Muang This temple is more interesting for its story than for its architecture.
There are many different versions but all concur that in 1566 when King Setthathirat
founded the temple, Si Muang was a young pregnant woman in a nearby village. According
to local superstition that held sway at the time, it was necessary to appease the angry
spirits with a human sacrifice when the ground was first consecrated and the pillar marking
the foundation of the city was built. Si Muang jumped into a hole in the ground
before the pillar was lowered and was crushed to death by the rocks thrown on top of her
or by the lowering of the pillar itself. To this day, Si Muang is still worshiped as a kind
of patron saint, and the wat that is constructed on the place where she supposedly died
is named after her, as is the surrounding village or “ban.” There is no sign here to recount
the story of Si Muang. There is only a pile of old bricks next to a small statue of her at
the back of the temple. The reality is that given that Wat Si Muang is built on the site of
a previous and far more ancient Khmer temple it is likely that if there is any truth to the
legend it occurred far longer ago than the time of King Setthathirat.
The original wat was destroyed in 1828 when the Thais ravaged Viang Chan. This
building was constructed under the French in 1915. Both the pillar and a nearby Khmer
style chedi probably date from the Khmer era. There is also a Buddha image that may
well be from the original structure and survived the destruction wrought by the Thais. It
is thought to have mystical powers. All in all Wat Si Muang is considered to be a place
of very powerful magic.
Setthathirath, Samsenthai, and Tha Deua Rd. Daily 6am–7pm.
Wat Si Saket Completed in 1818, Wat Si Saket was the only temple in Vientiane
to survive the pillaging of the city by the Siamese in 1828, perhaps because the temple
was built in traditional Thai style. It is renowned for the more than 10,000 Buddha
images, of all shapes and sizes, in every possible nook and cranny. Look for Buddha
characteristics that are unique to Laos: the standing or “praying for rain” Buddha; or the
pose with arms up and palms facing forward, the “stop fighting” or “calling for peace”
Buddha. The pose in which Buddha points the right hand downward signifies a rejection
of evil and a calling to mother earth for wisdom and assistance. Lao Buddhas also have
exaggerated nipples and square noses, to emphasize that Buddha is no longer human.
The sim (chapel or ordination hall) features a Khmer-style Buddha seated on a coiled
cobra for protection.
Lan Xang and Setthathirath. Admission 5,000 kip. Daily 8am–noon and 1–4pm.
231
VIENTIANE 11
VIENTIANE ATTRACTIONS