The Best of Cambodia & Laos

during the reign of Sam Saen Thai. It is in the Sukhothai style rather than Lao or Khmer.
The sitting statue weighs over 2 tons and is 6m high. The image is in the “victory over
Mara” pose with one hand touching the earth. It is the oldest large Buddhist statue in
Luang Prabang and for much of its history it sat outside the sim. It was heavily damaged
during the rampages of the Haw in 1887 and also during the Franco-Thai war in the late
19th century, when its arms were destroyed. This piece of wanton theft and destruction was
most likely perpetrated by the French although they reaped their karmic reward as their
boat sank in the Mekong. They forgot a part of the Buddha’s forearm and that can now be
seen at the base of the statue in the sim. When the sim was rebuilt in 1972, the statue was
enclosed in the sim and the arms were reconstructed from cement. The wat has the largest
number of monks and novices of any monastery in Luang Prabang and there is also a primary
school. A new wall encircling the grounds of the wat was completed in 1995.
Wat Pa Huak Wat Pa Huak or the “Monastery of the Thornless
Bamboo Forest” was founded in 1861 by Phaya Si Mahanam during the reign of King
Chantharath (1850–72) and was named after the bamboo forest that used to be on the
site. It is situated to the northeast of Mount Phousi and opposite the Palace Museum.
The rather dainty sim is in the Vientiane style. The exterior is of the temple is in dire
need of repair. There is a delightful and elaborate carved wooden facade formerly covered
in mosaics, although little remains. In the center of the facade there is a depiction of
Indra riding Airavata, the three-headed elephant of Hindu mythology. The weathered
doors still show traces of what they once were.
The most interesting features of Pa Huak are the quirky 19th-century murals decorating
the interior walls. They provide fascinating insights into ordinary life at the time rather
than the usual religious themes that one normally finds. Most interesting is the depiction
of the story of the Buddha’s humiliation or the taming of the haughty King Jambupati, by
showing himself as the Buddha King of the world rather than a lowly monk. There are
also portrayals of Luang Prabang receiving Chinese, European, and Persian visitors with
elephants, horses, and tigers. It’s all very lively. If you are a fan of history as told through
murals (such as in Wat Phumin in Nan and Wat Phra Singh in Chiang Mai, Thailand),
then Wat Pa Huak is a treat.
Sisavangvong.
Wat That Luang Wat That Luang Rasamahavihane is known as the “Monastery of
the Royal Stupa.” It has long been associated with Lao royalty of Luang Prabang. Legend
suggests that an early monastery on the site originated from a visit by Buddhist missionaries
sent by Asoka, the 3rd-century-b.c. Buddhist evangelical Indian king. The legend is
unsupported by any real evidence however. Relics from the early 12th century have been
discovered, though they may have come from a site in northern Thailand.
The present sim was constructed on a small hill south of the city in 1818 during the
reign of King Manthaturat (1817–36). It may have been built partly from the branches
of a bodhi tree located near Wat Keo Fa. The sim is built in Lao style with gables on both
the northeast and southwest sides. There are no porches or verandas, nor are there the
sweeping rooflines that you find on so many wats in Luang Prabang. The large bronzeand-gilded
Buddha inside the sim was transferred from the now-defunct Wat Aham
Mungkhun, located a short distance from That Luang. It weighs about 1,100 pounds.
That Luang has long been one of the important ritual sites for Buddhist, traditional,
and royal events; the Festival of the 12th month, or Tat, in particular. In the past it was
presided over by the king. There are two large stupas on the grounds. The golden funerary
stupa in front of the sim contains the ashes of the king, Sisivang Vong (1904–59). It
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