Pha That Luang, Vientiane

A very impressive and important Buddhist religious site is That Luang. That Luang or Pha That Luang means Large Tower in Lao.

One of the most important and oldest wat in the city and  also a significant national symbol.

It is said to enshrine a breastbone of Buddha.

 

Pha That Luang from a distance

King Setthatirat:

King Setthatirat (1534-1571) or Xaysettha (Lao) or Jayajyesthadhiraj or Chaiyachettathirat protected Lanna Kingdom against the Burmese which had already conquered Chiang Mai in 1558, Ayutthaya in 1564. He not only built this monument but also Haw Phra Kaew, Wat Ong Teu in Vientiane and Wat Xiang Thong in Luang Prabang.

In 1546, King Setthathirath was made the king. In 1548, he made Chiang Saen in Thailand as his capital.  But, the situation became unstable after the death of King Photsararath, King Setthathirath returned back to Lan Xang or Lancang (present day Laos).

He also brought the images of Phra Kaew (Emerald Buddha) and the Phra Phuttha Sihing to Luang Prabang.

In 1560, capital was shifted from Luang Prabang to Vientiane because it was not deemed safe.

Emerald Buddha was housed in Haw Phra Kaew.

That Luang was renovated and to compensate for the lost position of a capital city, Wat Xieng Thong was built in Luang Prabang.

Many conspiracies and foul play took place against the King.  In 1571, the King was murdered. The country went into a turmoil after his death. He left a young child as his heir.

There was no peace in the country till King Sourigna Vongsa became the king in 1638, whose reign is said to be the golden age for Laos.

 

History of Stupa:

The Buddhist stupa is said to be built on a 13th century Indian temple. It is said that in the 3rd century BC, King Ashoka, who was the first Buddhist Emperor of India, sent monks across Asia to spread Buddhism. The monks came with a piece of breast bone of Buddha which was enshrined here.

In the 12th century, a Khmer temple was built at that spot during the reign of King Jayavarman VII who was one of the most powerful Khmer king and converted the state religion of the Khmer empire to Buddhism.

 

King Setthathirat built the monument on top of the temple after he shifted his capital to Vientiane in 1566. It  is said to be covered with 500 kgs of gold.

Destruction:

Vientiane suffered heavy destruction and looting by Siamese invaders in the 18th century. All the gold from the stupa was stolen. In 1900, French tried to restore the place but were not successful. It lay abandoned only to be rebuilt in 1930.

But, again during the Franco-Thai War in 1940, That Luang suffered heavy damages during Thai air raid.

It was finally restored after World War II. The monument is now painted golden with only the pinnacle covered in real gold.

That Luang holds a special place in the history of Laos. It graces the banknotes and national emblem.

 

Renovation:

Since the time of King Jayavarman VII, That Luang has been renovated many times. Not only was this stupa but several other temples were damaged and looted when Thai invaded Vientiane.

From 1828 to next 70 years, That Luang was left in ruins. It was renovated in 1900 and again in 1030.

In 1940, during French-Thai war, the place was damaged by Thai bombs.

The last renovation was in 2016 and 2017.

Statue of King Setthathirat in front of stupa

entrance to stupa

admission ticket

rules to be followed when visiting the site

 A high wall encircles the 45 meter stupa with small windows. There are entrances on all four cardinal directions. For the tourists, only the sides facing east and west are open.

The Phat Luang consists of three levels in accordance with the Buddhist cosmology.

The lowermost level (1) is the kamadhatu(अरूपधातु). This level represents the desires of the world to which we are bound. The wall is surrounded by sema stones that mark the sacred area of stupa. It is 67 meters by 68 meters.

 

On top of it is the second level(2), rupadhatu (रूपधातु), where we abandon our desires but still bound to the world. This level along with sema stones has 30 small stupas all around. This level is 47 meters square.

 

Level 3 is the arupdhatu(अरूपधातु), which is the place of formlessness. Here, there is no longer name or form. This part has the stupa which arises from between a blooming lotus. It is topped with a multi-tiered parasol. This topmost level is 29 meters square.

At the center of each wall is a prayer gate called Haw Wai. It is an open structure with double roof.

Inside the Haw Wai is an image of Buddha. The stairs to praying altar is guarded by Naga. Since, no one is permitted to go further, disciples offer their prayers at Haw Wai.

 Haw Wai in another direction

naga guarding the stairs

 

 stupa seen with Haw Wai on two sides

 

The stupa is enclosed by walls approximately 350 meters in perimeter. There is a cloister between the outer wall and stupa. Since, there is no access to the inside of stupa, this is the circumambulatory path or pradakshana or the walking path. The path is covered to ward off any evil.

On one side of the cloister, there are a row of articles which were found at this site.

serene statue of King Jayavarman VII in green sandstone

A huge statue of Jayavarman VII was also found here. Jayavarman VII has been one of the most important kings of Khmer kingdom. He initially built this stupa, enshrining Buddha relic under a stone obelisk in the 12th century.

sema stone

 

 Statues found at site

Many things including sema stones, Shiv lingam were found at the site.

The next cloister has oil paintings made by local artists.

drum in a corner in cloister

Hang Hod

Hang Hod or Rang Rod is used in the bathing ceremony of senior monks. On either side of Hang Hod is the head of Naga.

In one part of cloister are many images of Buddha on pedestal.

more items found, including a 17th century head of Buddha made of lime mortar

an inscription stone near the cloister

parking lot towards the east gate

smiling girls selling Khao Lam

Sticky rice is cooked with coconut and coconut milk stuffed inside a stick of bamboo.

Currency notes with That Luang in them:

 

K  or KN 50,000, 100,000, 10,000

Pha That Luang Festival:

It is one of the most important Buddhist festival called Boun That Luang. It is held on the full moon of the 12th lunar month. It is a three day festival with plenty of Buddhist ceremonies and celebrations. Alms are given to monks and people come to pay respect to the golden stupa.

The devotees go around the stupa three times with incense sticks in their hands to pay their respects.

People wear traditional clothes, and play traditional music. The ground is set up with plenty of stalls selling food, clothes and crafts. There are fireworks and candlelight procession.

Timings:

That Luang is open everyday from 8:00- 12:00 and then from 13:00 to 16:00

Tickets:

30,000 Kip for foreigners
 

Temples surrounding the stupa:

The large well kept grounds of stupa have other surrounding structures for which one does not need a ticket.

I plan to visit Wat That Luang Neua and Wat That Luang Tai. There is a Hor Dhammasabha Buddhist Convention Hall which is used for meeting and Buddhist conventions.