Visitez Luang Prabang, et le reste du Laos

Wat Long Khun

Benolaos — 2015-11-13T07:42:00Z

Wat Long Khun (or Long Khoun), the Monastary of the Happy or Blessed Song (Monastère du Chant Bienheureux) sometimes also is called the Monastery of the Willow Stream. The wat is attractively sited on a 1.5 hectare (3.7 acre) flat area at the top of a long stairway leading from the river's edge on the right bank of the Mekong. It is located almost directly across the river from Wat Xieng Thong.

The monastery historically had important ties with the royal family of Luang Prabang. From its beginnings Wat Long Khoun served as a retreat center for spiritual revitalization. It was traditional practice that the new king-designate spend three days there in ceremonial bathing and meditative retreat before returning across the Mekong to the embarcadero of Wat Xieng Thong on the eve of his formal coronation. With the dissolution of the monarchy, however, the monastery was abandoned and fell into disrepair, as did the other wats on the right bank. The Lao Department of Museums and Archeology and the École française d'Extrême-Orient carefully restored the complex the mid-1990s using traditional materials and techniques.

The Luang Prabang style sim has two sections of almost equal size that are set on a low platform. The rear and older half is the sim proper and dates from the 18th century. It has some pleasant and sometimes vibrant interior jataka murals depicting the various lives of the Buddha. Unfortunately many are in poor condition because of moisture seeping into the building and from the years of neglect following the end of the monarchy. There doubtless also was deliberate vandalism from the revolutionary years of the mid-1970s, as one can see numerous gouges in the murals. Perhaps it is fortunate, however, that they have not been inexpertly repainted as has been the case in some of the other sims.

The front section is an extended portico added during the reign of King Sisavonvang in 1937. It has attractive gilded lotus-capped columns and a nicely carved wooden pediment with floral spirals and graceful figures with pointed tiaras. Under the portico and on the facade of the sim, one unexpectedly finds two historic and large bearded Chinese guardians flanking the main entry.

The wat also contains a rich variety of other structures. Most of were restored in the mid-1990s. There are six kutis, living quarters for the monks. They are of mixed traditional wooden styles and a number are raised on customary pilings. The earlier masonry stairs were reincorporated into most of these buildings. There is also a long narrow windowless structure near the sim that served as a meditation room for kings, their male relatives, monks and others.

One final short note about the name of the wat. Hans Georg Berger, in his valuable volume on the rituals of Luang Prabang, recounts a legend that suggests that the two hills opposite the city on the right bank of the Mekong represent a young girl leaning against a young man. Wat Long Khoun (which may be translated as a flatland near rivers and female abdomen) is next to her abdomen.

Text from oriental Architecture

View online : Vat Long Khun, by Oriental Architecture

Phousi Mountain & That Chomsi

Benolaos — 2013-09-02T18:48:00Z

Built in 1804 during the reign of King Anourouth and ideally located at the top of Mount Phousi (in the heart of the town), Wat That Chomsi has become a symbol of Luang Prabang's spiritual significance to Laos. The Stupa is reachable after climbing the 300 steps when all the way up the hill consists of various temples, beautiful shady trees and a magnificent view of the river. At half way up the hill there is Wat Tham Phousi Shrine that consists of a big–bellied Buddha snuggled in a grotto. The temple also consists of another Buddha statue in a reclining position.

A terrace at the foot of the stupa offers an 360° panoramic view of the town. A MUST DO, especially in the evening, during the sunset, when the golden Stupa reflects the last light rays on one of its face.

During the Pimai Festival, woman carry flower offerings up the stairs and leave as offerings at the foot of the stupa.

One of the most interesting aspects of Mount Phousi lies in the legend which surrounds it. Tradition has it that at the site of the sacred hill there used to be a deep pit that led to the centre of the earth. Helped by villagers, a monk went down into the pit and found an immense treasure. The villagers seized the treasure and buried the monk alive by sealing the entrance to the pit. However, armed with magical charms, the monk succeeded in extricating himself after defeating the seven guardians of the treasure. News of this murder attempt reached the ears of the king of Luang Prabang, who punished the villagers by condemning them to take turns in beating drums, gongs and cymbals every three hours to stop the dragons from disturbing mankind. This practice is still carried out today at nearby Wat Thum Thao.

Wat Visoun (Visounnalat)

Benolaos — 2013-09-02T13:41:00Z

Built in 1512 or 1513, rebuilt in 1896-98

Wat Visounnalat was originally built during the reign of King Wisunarat (or Vixoun, 1501-1520) in 1513 (some suggest 1512) and represents the earliest style, sometimes referred to as Luang Prabang Style I, of Lao temple architecture. This style also includes the sims of Wat That Luang and Wat Mai. Wat Wisunalat is Luang Prabang's oldest operating temple. As with the sims of most Lao wats, there are multiple roof structures. In the Style I form the first and second roofs extend around the entire perimeter of the structure. Except for the sim at Wat Mai, which was embellished by two additional gable roofs and two roofed side galleries, the style evokes simplicity, since the sim employs neither the high peaks of the gable nor the dramatic low sweeping roofs of many of the other sims of Luang Prabang. Located and adjoining Wat Aham to the southeast, it was probably built on the rice fields of the guardian spirits of the city (devata luang), Pu No and Na No (Phou Nheu and Nha Nheu). The sacred Prabang image was housed in the sim from 1513 until it was taken to Vientiane in 1707.

The original highly ornate wooden sim was a spectacular example of Lao craftsmanship at its finest and was one of the most imposing religious structures of old Luang Prabang. It had a double roof with the upper roof raised high above the lower roof. It was over 118 ft. (36m) long and 59 ft. (18m) wide; perhaps 4,000 trees were used in its construction. Each of the twelve pillars supporting the roof was almost 100 ft. (30 meters) high. There were twenty-one windows with turned wooden balustrades. Louis Delaporte's engraving of its appearance in the 1860s is included in the series of photographs that follow on this site and shows the unique character of the sim. Most of the partitions of the original building were carved wood, and the exterior, as portrayed in the engraving, made it one of the most beautiful in Luang Prabang. It also housed a major collection of rich religious objects and other "objets d'art". Much of the sim and the city were destroyed during the invasion of the Chinese Haw Black Flags marauders in 1887.

The sim was rebuilt between 1896 and 1898 and during the reign of King Sakkarin Kamsuk (r. 1894-1903). The style was somewhat to the old sim with its numerous massive wooden beams, window placement and style of the roof, albeit the major part of the structure was brick and plaster in place of the wood. The window balustrades attempt to capture the flavor of the older turned wooden balustrades of the original sim. The sim today continues its existence as a valuable of museum religious art with numerous centuries old Buddha statues in bronze and gilded and unadorned wood, ordination precinct stones and other religious objects.

Another important and prominent feature of the wat is its unique That Pathoum, or Stupa of the Great Lotus, in the front and northeastern side of the sim. It is known more popularly as That Makmo, the "Watermelon Stupaï" because of its rounded dome. The dome stylistically reflects a Sinhalese influence and is the only stupa of such a shape in Laos, and perhaps even in Cambodia or Vietnam. Originally erected between 1514 and 1515, it was destroyed during the Haw Black Flag incursion in 1887. Inside were numerous ancient Buddha images. Many were destroyed; a number are in the National Palace Museum, and some are in the sim itself. Its reconstruction was not seriously undertaken until the late 1920s, over thirty years after the reconstruction of the sim, and was completed in 1932. The stupa sets on a number of different square tiers and has a Lao-Buddhist style Usnisa crown at its top.

Wat Phon Phao

Benolaos — 2012-06-19T00:48:09Z

About 2 miles from Luang Prabang, upstream from the Nam Khan river, you can find the Wat Phon Phau on top of a small hill which is looked after by female monks. Male bonzes are dressed in a yellow robe (sometimes orange or light brown) as Buddha recommended, when he said that they should wear 3 odd pieces of clothing. The women wear a sort of white kimono.

The Buddhist religion differentiates the conditions of men and women. Man is supposedly the last stage of reincarnation, the only real one on the road to Nirvana, in other words the end of the cycle.

Boys are obliged to retire to a monastery for a period of at least 3 months during their youth, a retirement (bouat) of a few days (normally a maximum of 3 weeks) … for women, this is unthinkable, they must learn everything by their own means if they're really interested.

Some monasteries accept women, but mainly only older women, who find in these religious enclosures, a spiritual refuge. At Phon Phao, several women came to escape the turmoil of Luang Prabang and work on everyday chores, including gardening.

The singularity of this temple, starts with its octagonal architecture. Built in the 1950's, this temple is also exceptional by its interior decoration :

paintings representing traditional Buddhist scenes, are stunning,
the second floor with its paintings illustrating the different Buddhist architectures of the countries of S.E. Asia is very interesting
the last floor, all in gold (like the reception hall of the old royal palace) marks the ultimate preciousness of the high level.

My advice : to be seen and to be followed from ban Phanom, the historical weaving village. Some beautiful showpieces, mostly made from a mixture of cotton and yarns of silk.

Wat Sopsikhalam

Benolaos — 2012-06-18T12:57:53Z

Temple neighbouring the Wat Sene and whose specificities are a That covered by earthenware, sheltering the representations of Buddha, as well as a large statue of Buddha in the garden. Many young bonzes live here.

The tradition is that boys must withdraw into a monastery in their youth for a period of at least 3 weeks (which is called the Bouat). Normally, its round about the age of 15 that this initiation takes place. But there are also many who come from the surrounding villages, from disadvantaged families, and who spend several years in a temple, up until the end of their schooling, so that they can learn the teachings of Buddha but also have a roof over their heads, food, and the time necessary for concentration and school work.

Wat Souvannakhiri

Benolaos — 2012-06-18T12:48:10Z

This temple was renovated in 2006 after having been partially destroyed by a fire.

Situated at the end of the peninsula, not far from Wat Pha Kham, this temple is mainly made up of a large colonial building and a small building sheltering a golden Buddha.

Wat Tchoum Khong

Benolaos — 2012-06-18T10:48:41Z

The Wat Tchoum Khong (which means 'Temple with the heart of a Gong) was constructed under the reign of King Sukaseum (1836-1851). It is one of the temples with the most flowers in Luang Prabang. Situated in the middle of the peninsula, where you will find all the commercial and tourist activities of the town, it is still a very calm place.

The garden is to be admired with its recent statues of Buddha in numerous traditional postures. The buildings have been recently renovated and the garden landscaped. The bougainvilleas are the most beautiful in town, which is renowned for its flower beds.

2 stone statues flank the stairs that lead to the Vihan. Of Chinese inspiration, they were given to King Chantharath (1850-1872) by the Chinese ambassador of Kunming, when he visited Luang Prabang. Showing elements of yin and yang, the statues represent two of the principle bodhisattvas (or enlightened beings) of Chinese Buddhism: Vajra, (lightning or a clap of thunder), representing masculine principles, and Ghanta representing a bell, or feminine principles.

You can admire the Prince's old house, just beside the temple, the Villa Xieng Mouane. It was renovated at the end of the 1990's by Heritage House and, since 2006, hosts a tourist information centre and certain exhibitions.

Text below from orientalarchitecture.com

The small but attractive Wat Choum Khong (Chum Khong, Chom Khong; its “surname” is spelled either Sourintharame or Sulinthaham), “the Monastery of the Core of the Gong,” is located northeast of the Royal Palace Museum in Luang Prabang's heritage zone. The name “Choum Khong” is derived from the raised boss in the center of a bronze gong, from which, it is suggested, the sim's central Buddha figure was partially made.

Choum Khong was founded by Phakhu Keo in 1843, during the reign of King Sukaseum (1836-1851). The sim was restored in 1933 and 1951, and its decoration was entirely remade in 1962. The doors and added windows in particular were the special project of the Venerable Houmpheng. The sim has also been renovated on several additional occasions in the more recent past.

The wat shares a common wall with Wat Xieng Mouane, and the sims of the two monasteries share a similar pattern of pillars and façades. Choum Khong has a double-sectioned roof that is divided at the point of the tallest front columns; the roof lacks the common ornamental dok so fa (nhot so fa) on the ridgepole. The single veranda in front of the sim has a low platform (though higher than that of the nearby sim of Xieng Mouane); its roof is supported by two tall and two short stenciled and gilded vermillion lotus-topped columns. There is a single stairway in the center of the veranda and one on each of its lateral sides. There are no side galleries. The nave has three entry doors from the veranda. The façade has an elaborately carved wooden lambrequin (or Dok Huang Pheung) beneath the finely designed and carved central tympanum; two additional carved lambrequins on the façade frame the entry doors on either side of the main door. Somewhat unusual for sims in Luang Prabang, above each of the lateral doors of the front wall of the nave there is a triangular segment that mimics the triangular sections of the façade between the taller and shorter columns. As with most Luang Prabang sims, there are elaborate carved and gilded doors and surrounds.

The grounds of the wat are quite attractive with considerable flora in both container and in-ground plantings. There is a fine well-delineated garden area in front of the sim with gilded statues, stupas, a drum tower and chapel.

Of some significance, and showing Choung Khong's continuing contact with the past of Luang Prabang, are two carved stone statues, distinctively Chinese, that now are in front of one of the kutis, or living quarters. In 1861 they were presented to King Chantharath (1850-1872) by the Chinese ambassador from Kunming during his visit to Luang Prabang. Reflecting elements of yin and yang, the statues represent two primary bodhisattvas of Chinese Buddhism: Vajra the lightning or thunderbolt representing masculine principles and the Ghanta representing the bell, or feminine principles. The latter symbol, of course, is also tied to the name of the wat. Their subsequent history in Luang Prabang is rather interesting. The (possibly somewhat disreputable) interim High Commissioner of France in Luang Prabang in the 1890s, M. Joseph Vacle, placed them in front of his residence. After the First World War Boun Khong (Tiao Maha Oupahat), one of the most eminent preservers of the cultural heritage of Luang Prabang and father of the Princes Phetsarath, Souvanna Phouma and Souphanouvong, deposited them in the Royal Palace. Then in the 1930s, the Laotian Prince and Director of Culture, Tiao Patasavong Sisouphan presented them to Wat Chom Kong, where they have been since that time. They formerly guarded the central stairway the sim. Now they flank the doorway of the nearby kuti.

Text by Robert D. Fiala, Concordia University, Nebraska, USA

Wat Aphai

Benolaos — 2012-06-18T10:39:11Z

Situated behind the Mount Phousi, on the banks of the river Nam Khan, in the village where is concentrated most of the bars, this temple has two features that are worth the trip : a recently renovated ‘that', as well as a representation of Buddha surrounded by a beautiful Bougainvillea.

Wat Nong Sikhounmuang

Benolaos — 2012-06-18T10:16:27Z

Temple sheltering one of the largest pagodas in Luang Prabang, which was recently renovated.

Situated opposite the "Elephant" restaurant, the pagoda is richly decorated with stencils. In a style inspired by that of Vientiane (see the architectural section), the temple has one of the most dazzlingly beautiful coloured roofs, in the Thai style, the same sort as that of Wat Sene.

Wat Aham

Benolaos — 2012-06-18T10:12:25Z

Wat Aham signifies "The Monastery of the Blossoming Heart". This temple was surely a place for mediation and meetings between spiritual culture and Buddhist practice. Neighbouring the Wat Vitsoun, it is relatively quiet even though the district has in the last few years, become the centre of Luang Prabang's night life.

You will notice the 2 stylised stucco tigers guarding the pagoda, and the statues of the temple guardians Ravana and Hanuman (central figures of the Indian Ramayana epic and their Laotian equivalent, the Phalak Phalam) which stand at the Southern and Eastern corners of the front porch. Unlike a certain number of other pagodas in Luang Prabang, there is no outside decoration on the walls of the porch.

There are also a number of stûpas and 2 "Bhodi's" (banyan or Bo trees). These trees provide a shrine for the protector of the royal spirit, the Haw Phi Khon.

For the greater part of the XIXth century, but before the Wat Mai succeeded it, the Wat Aham served as the Residence of the Sangkhalat, the Supreme Patriarch of Buddhism. It was also considered the cultural centre for the guardians of Luang Prabang, the Devata Luang spirits : Phou Gneu et Gna gneu, whose masks and dances are always present during ceremonies, especially during the Lao New Year.

Text below from

Wat Aham, the "Monastery of the Opened Heart" ("Le Monastère du Cœur épanoui") much of the time is serene, except when children from the near-by school are passing through the grounds. The serenity is also in contrast to its sometimes contentious past when it served as a mediating, or perhaps meeting, ground between the animist religion of spirit guardians and Theravada Buddhism.

The wat lies adjacent to Wat Wisunalat and that monastery's uniquely impressive That Makmo (the Watermelon Stupa). The date of the founding of Wat Aham itself is not known, though there was a wat on the site before King Manthatourath (r. 1817-1836) constructed the fine present Luang Prabang style sim in 1818 (some suggest 1822 or 1823). The sim has a relatively simple form with similar porches on the southeast and northwest façades; there are no external lateral galleries. Stylized stucco tigers guard the front entry steps, and statues of temple guardians Ravana and Hanuman (central figures of the Indian Ramayana epic and its Laotian counterpart, the Phalak Phalam) stand at the southern and eastern corners of the frontal porch. Unlike a number of other Luang Prabang sims, there is no external decoration on the walls of the porch at the frontal façade. The sim has a triple layered roof with two segments above the primary roof structure. There are a number of mildewed stupas on the grounds as well as two large and quite significant Bhodi (banyan or Bo), trees where there is a shrine of the royal spirit protector, Haw Phi Khon.

The interior of the sim is bright and colorful. Structural elements of pillars and beams are painted in reds and gold, while the interior walls are covered with murals depicting Buddhist theological precepts, scenes of a variety of torture and suffering experienced by those who inflicted evil on others, as well as elements reflective of the historic past of the city.

The site on which Wat Aham presently stands has historical and cultural importance that stem in part from religious conflicts and tensions in the sixteenth century. The founder of the Lan Xang kingdom, Fa Ngum (r. 1353-1373), a Lao prince raised at the Khmer court at Angkor, established here a tutelary shrine for worshiping the guardian spirits of Luang Prabang (devata luang), Pu No and Na No (Phou Nheu and Nha Nheu). Fa Ngum also made Theravada Buddhism the state religion. Beginning in 1527, however, the devout ruler of the Lan Xang kingdom, King Photthisarat (r. 1520-1548) began a concerted attack on the worship of the guardian spirits. He banned religious ceremonies in their honor, destroyed their shrines and erected a Buddhist monastery on the site of the former spirit shrine (this was an earlier, not the present monastery). Some discrete worship of the guardian spirits continued despite the ban. Shortly after the attacks on the guardian spirits the city was beset by a number of crises, including disease, drought and crop failure; in the popular mind the destruction of the shrines had brought the disasters. After King Sai Setthathirat (r. 1548-1571) moved the royal capital to Vientiane in 1563, the spirit shrine was rebuilt. The spirit gods and Buddhism lived together until the mid-twentieth century, when the spirit shrine was destroyed. The spirits of Pu No and Na No, by this time had achieved embodiment in the two large banyan (bodhi, or bo) trees that stood on the monastery grounds. Such trees are usually identified as symbolic of the Enlightenment of the Buddha.

For much of the nineteenth century, before Wat Mai succeeded toward the end of the century, Wat Aham served as the residence of the Sangkhalat, or the Supreme Patriarch of Laotian Buddhism; at the same time it also remained the center of devata luang worship. There is a small structure on the grounds that continues to hold ancestral wooden ritualistic masks associated with the guardian spirits. During Bun Pi (Mai Pimay), the Laotian Lunar New Year, the masks are taken from their storage (in gilded chests suspended by ropes above the ground) to play an important role, the "Dance of the Masks" in the pageantry of the festival.

Even though Wat Aham no longer is at the very center of the city's religious activities, it remains vitally significant to the heritage of Luang Prabang with its combination of intertwined guardian spirits and Buddhist practices becoming especially visible during festival periods. It thus continues to serve as a significant religious center of Luang Prabang.

Text by Robert D. Fiala, Concordia University, Nebraska, USA