Buddhism
ວັດຊຽງທອງ
Wat Xieng Thong
“The temple whose roofs flow to the ground like the river”
Photo: Basile Morin · CC BY-SA 4.0
Scenes
Meaning
At the tip of the peninsula where the Mekong meets the Khan, monks in orange robes sweep the courtyard beside the low-flowing tiers of the sim, opening the morning.
The royal temple of Luang Prabang, held to have been founded around 1560 by King Setthathirath and called the Temple of the Golden City. Its sim, whose roofs descend in low sweeping tiers, is regarded as the finest of Lao temple architecture, famed for the 'tree of life' glass mosaic on its rear wall. Coronations and royal rites were held here, and with the old town of Luang Prabang it is a UNESCO World Heritage site. At dawn the alms procession threads the city's streets, temple and town opening the day in a single breath.
Voices across time
“A delightful little town, ringed by forests and mountains.”
Roads through this light
Field notes
- Location
- Luang Prabang · Laos · N19.9° · E102.1°
- Best time
- Around the dawn alms round, and dusk when the gilded walls glow deepest
- Getting there
- On foot through the old town of Luang Prabang, to the tip of the peninsula.
- Etiquette
- The alms procession is watched quietly from a distance; shoulders and knees are covered in the sim.
Sources
- · UNESCO World Heritage
- · Encyclopaedia Britannica
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