The Best of Cambodia & Laos

Make Merit
Picture Sunday Mass at a typical church somewhere: Everyone is seated, ready for
the ceremony to begin. The priest and altar boys start to walk down the aisle.
Suddenly, visiting tourists rush to the end of the pews and start photographing
like paparazzi, flashes and all. Sound crazy? Well that’s what happens at Luang
Prabang’s Tak Bat, or Make Merit, a living religious ritual that occurs at dawn each
day. The procession of saffron-clad monks walking down the streets of Luang
Prabang to collect the food offerings of devout, kneeling Buddhists is a breathtaking
sight. But it is disrespectful to treat it as a tourist show. When I watched,
several travelers were chatting while they were giving food and thrusting cameras
uncomfortably close to the monks. One man, after he had given away all his
sticky rice, hollered across the street to his companions, “All right, should we
move on to the outdoor market then?” Monks were still walking past him. Put your
best foot forward here and observe these local customs (as laid out by the National
Tourism Authority) before you take part in or simply watch the act of Tak Bat.
• Observe the ritual in silence and contribute an offering only if it is meaningful for
you and you can do so respectfully.
• Buy the rice at the local market earlier in the morning rather than from street vendors
along the monks’ route.
• If you are not making an offering, keep an appropriate distance and be respectful.
Don’t get in the way of the monks’ procession or people giving alms.
• Do not photograph the monks too closely; camera flashes are very disturbing for
both the monks and those giving alms.
• Dress appropriately; your shoulders, chest, and legs should be covered.
• Do not make physical contact with the monks.
The wat was founded by King Anourout (1795–1817) in about 1796. No one is
exactly sure of the exact year. Most of it dates from the 19th century. Restoration of the
wooden sim possibly started in 1821 or 1822 during the reign of King Manthatourat
(1817–36), when it was given the name of the New Monastery. There were also major
restorations in 1943 and 1962, as well as more recently. The sim is built in the traditional
Luang Prabang style with a sweeping roof and porches on two sides.
Wat Mai served as a temple for the royal family and long has been the residence of the
Pra Sangkharat, the patriarch of Lao Buddhism. In 1887 the Haw spared this temple.
Historians say it was because they found it too beautiful to destroy. If so they get zero
points for consistency given what they did decide to set fire to. Wat Mai became the
repository of the Pha Bang until, in 1947, the gold statue was moved to the royal palace,
now the Royal Palace Museum. During Pimai, or Lao New Year, the Pha Bang is ceremoniously
brought from the museum to a temporary pavilion in front of the sim and for 3
days there is ceremonial washing of the image and opportunities for the faithful to make
offerings.
A previous abbot of Wat Mai also took a part in the opening of Luang Prabang to the
world outside of Asia. In 1887 Auguste Pavie, who had a strong admiration for the
region, arrived in Luang Prabang as the first French (and European) vice-consul in Laos.
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