Wat Xieng Thong

Lonely Planet review

Near the northern tip of the peninsula formed by the Mekong River and the Nam Khan is Luang Prabang's most magnificent temple, Wat Xieng Thong. King Setthathirat ordered the construction of Wat Xieng Thong's sǐm (ordination hall) in 1560, and the compound remained under royal patronage until 1975. Like the royal palace, Wat Xieng Thong was placed within easy reach of the Mekong. The hǎw tąi (Tripitaka library) was added in 1828, and the haw kąwng (drum tower) in 1961.

Along with Wat Mai Suwannaphumaham, this was the only Luang Prabang wat spared by the 1887 Black Flag Haw sacking of the city. The Black Flag's leader, Deo Van Tri (a Thai Khao or White Thai from the north Vietnam province of Lai Chau), had studied here as a monk earlier in his life, and he used the desecrated, if not destroyed, temple as his headquarters during the invasion.

The sǐm represents what is considered classic Luang Prabang temple architecture, with roofs that sweep low to the ground. The rear wall of the sǐm features an impressive 'tree of life' mosaic set in a red background. Inside, the elaborately decorated wooden columns support a ceiling stencilled in gold with dhammachakka (dharma wheels). Other gold-stencilled designs on the interior walls depict the exploits of legendary King Chanthaphanit, about whom there exists no verifiable written history.

To one side of the sǐm , towards the east, stand several haw (small halls) and stupas containing Buddha images of the period. The hǎw tąi pha sai-nyàat (reclining Buddha sanctuary; dubbed La Chapelle Rouge - Red Chapel - by the French) contains an especially rare reclining Buddha that dates from the construction of the temple. This one-of-a-kind figure is exquisitely proportioned in classic Lao style (most Lao recliners imitate Thai or Lanna styles), with the monastic robes curling outward at the ankle like rocket fumes. Instead of merely supporting the head, the unique right-hand position extends away from the head in a simple but graceful gesture. In 1931 this image was taken to Paris and displayed at the Paris Exhibition, after which it was kept in Vientiane until its return to Luang Prabang in 1964.

Gold-leaf votives line the upper walls of the sanctuary on either side of the reclining image. In front of the image are several seated bronze Buddhas of different styles and ages, and on either side of the altar are small embroidered tapestries depicting a stupa and a standing Buddha. A mosaic on the back exterior wall of this chapel was done in the late 1950s in commemoration of the 2500th anniversary of the Buddha's attainment of parinibbana (final nirvana, or passing away). The mosaic is unique in that it relates the exploits of Siaw Sawat, a hero from a famous Lao novel, along with scenes of local village life, rather than a religious scene.

Near the compound's eastern gate stands the hóhng kép mîen (royal funerary carriage house). Inside is an impressive funeral carriage (crafted by local artisan Thit Tanh), standing 12m high, and various funeral urns for the members of the royal family. (The ashes of King Sisavang Vong, the queen and the king's brother, however, are not interred here but at Wat That Luang at the southern end of Luang Prabang.) Glass cabinets hold royal puppets that were once used for performances of la-kháwn lek . Gilt panels on the exterior of the chapel depict semierotic episodes from the Ramayana epic.