If you’ve ever wanted to overdose on temples, Luang Prabang is the place. This gem of a World Heritage city is renowned for its temples, as well as its French colonial architecture.
Post Contents
- How to get there
- The Best Time to Visit
- What to Pack
- These are living temples
- Meeting the monks
- CONSIDERING A PRABANG TEMPLE TRIP?
- Offering alms
- Temple etiquette
- Main buildings
- In the temple grounds
- Temple decorations
- CONSIDERING A PRABANG TEMPLE TRIP?
- The peninsula wats
- Wat by wat highlights
- Mount Phousi
- Just nearby
- Further afield
- CONSIDERING A PRABANG TEMPLE TRIP?
- Over the river and up the hill
- Where to stay
- Tours
- In summary
- CONSIDERING A PRABANG TEMPLE TRIP?
How to get there
The easiest way to get to Luang Prabang is by air. There are direct flights from the Lao capital, Vientiane, with Lao Airlines, as well as from Hanoi with Vietnam Airlines and Bangkok with Bangkok Air. Another option is to take the slow boat from Huay Xai, opposite Chiang Khong in northeast Thailand. This is a laid-back way to arrive, which sets the mood for a laid-back holiday in a laid-back city.
The Best Time to Visit
For cooler weather, come during the dry season between November and February. To avoid crowds, come during rainy season between May and October. It doesn’t rain all day, every day—usually an hour or two in late afternoon or evening—and the sheet lightning storms are spectacular. However, if you can’t stand humidity, rainy season is not for you!
What to Pack
Pack as you would for most touring (as opposed to resort) holidays. Lao people are generally modest in their dress, especially the women. Save your short shorts and bikini tops for beaches and resorts.
Alas, Lao has a very poor medical and hospital system and a bad record in terms of vehicle crashes. Before leaving home, get travel insurance with unlimited medical coverage in case you need to be air lifted out. Also, bring all your medicines with you. Even if you can find them locally, they might be imported fakes.
Electricity sometimes goes; so bring a torch. Always carry it with you in the evening, as the footpaths can be treacherous. Sometimes tuk tuks are impossible to find, and you may end up walking long distances in the dark.
As well as travel guides, you may want to bring the mystery novels set in Laos by Colin Cotterill (start with the first, The Coroner’s Lunch) and the food travelogue, Ant Egg Soup, by Natacha du Pont de Bie.
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These are living temples
Many of the famous temples in Southeast Asia, such as Angkor Wat, Bagan and Ayutthaya, are abandoned ruins. Most of the temples in Luang Prabang, however, are living temples. Their collective history reaches back to the founding of Luang Prabang as the capital of the Kingdom of Lan Xang (meaning million elephants) by King Fa Ngum in 1353.
Resident monks come in all ages. The young ones are often there just for a few months to make merit or longer term for an education, rather than as a lifetime vocation.
Meeting the monks
At the wats, don’t be afraid to talk to the monks if they are not busy with other duties. Many, particularly the younger ones, are learning English at school and appreciate the chance to practice, as well as to tell you about their temple.
You can also drop into the public library or Big Brother Mouse publishers as a volunteer to help locals practice English conversation. Young monks often turn up for these sessions.
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Offering alms
Every morning at about 6, the monks leave their temples to collect food and alms along the main street of town. Some tourists treat this as a ‘photo op’ rather than an ancient tradition that brings merit to those who make offerings. Read the reviews (https://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Attraction_Review-g295415-d2229605) and decide whether you want to participate; if you do, you may prefer a quiet side street rather than mingling with the tourist hordes. Also beware of the scam where locals keep handing you bananas or lollies to give to the monks, then charge you ‘Westerner’ prices for these items.
Temple etiquette
When entering a temple, always leave your shoes at the door. Wearing sandals or flip flops, rather than runners, will save you time. Enter quietly and sit on the floor with your legs bent sideways like the locals do. Feet are considered unclean, and so your soles should never point towards the Buddha images. Even if you aren’t Buddhist, you can enjoy meditating or just being ‘in the moment’.
Most Lao women visiting a temple will wear a traditional tubular wrap-around skirt (sinh). As a female international visitor, wearing a blouse with sleeves and either a skirt or capris that cover your knees will show your respect for the Lao people, their culture and religion. Because monks are not allowed to touch women, take care to make extra room for them to get past you if it’s crowded.
Show your appreciation by leaving a small donation in one of the temple offering boxes. Consider it your contribution to help maintain and conserve the grounds and buildings for future generations.
Main buildings
Each temple (called wat in the Lao language) includes a group of buildings. The sim is usually the largest and most ornate; it is where people come to worship and the monks are ordained. At the front are statues of the Buddha in different poses.
The hor kang is the pavilion that shelters the ceremonial drums. These are used to awaken the monks early in the morning and to call them to prayer later in the day. If you keep an ear out (or are a light sleeper), you can sometimes hear them.
The hor tai is the library, which is usually built on stilts and houses the sacred scriptures. These are inscribed on palm fronds using a stylus and infilled with blackened ash.
In the temple grounds
Stupas (chedi) are smaller, pagoda-like monuments in the temple grounds that contain bones or other relics of the Buddha or revered monks. Some wats also have boat sheds containing long, narrow canoes These are used by the community for boat races in September, always a festive occasion.
Although visitors are generally free to enter the sim and wander the grounds, you should treat other buildings, such as the monks’ quarters and classrooms, as ‘off limits’. This is the monks’ home, so think: How would you like it if strangers came wandering into your bedroom or study?
Temple decorations
Keep an eye out for a range of artistry in temple design: hand-painted or stencilled murals depict the life of the Buddha (jataka) or the Lao version of the Ramayana epic (Phra Lak Phra Lam); images of the Tree of Life (the Bodhi tree where the Buddha sat and attained enlightenment) or the eight-spoked Wheel of Law (dhamachakra); carved wooden door panels; colourful glass mosaics; metal roof decorations shaped like parasols or pagodas (dok so faa); and roof finials (so faa) and balustrades shaped like serpents (nagas).
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The peninsula wats
Numerous wats are located on the narrow peninsula, only four streets wide, where the Nam Khan River flows into the Mekong. The best way to see these is on foot. Most of the wats are located between the two middle streets (Sutika Kuman and Sakkarin). You can easily wander from one wat to the next on the small lanes that run perpendicular to these streets. Most temples are open from 8am until 3pm every day. However, during the Boun Ok Pansa festival at the end of the rainy season, these wats are open at night and lit by hundreds of candle lanterns, creating a magical experience.
The main temples are listed below in order from the end of the peninsula to the National Museum. Best to start early, before the heat of the day hits full bore. When you get hungry or thirsty, head to one of the two outer streets, which are lined with shops and cafes.
Wat by wat highlights
Wat Xieng Thong (meaning gold city) highlights include the sim, built in 1560, with a carved gilt Wheel of Life at the entrance; the Red Chapel with glass mosaic inlays and a bronze reclining Buddha; and the royal funerary carriage house with a gilt chariot.
Wat Souvanna Khili (meaning golden mountain) was built in 1779. The sim has six Tree of Life mosaics decorating the front wall, carved window shutters and gables with bas-reliefs of mythical animals. Wat Si Boun Huang, constructed in the mid-1700s, has lovely lawns planted with bougainvillea, frangipani and palm trees, and the gable above the sim doors depicts the Wheel of Law.
Wat Sene Souk Haram was built in 1714 and restored in 1957. This Thai-style wat has a stunning red and gold façade, stencilled figures of imaginary beasts, a carved stone tablet depicting Buddha’s footprint, and a chapel housing a standing Buddha and a giant gong and drum.
Wat Nong Sikhunmuang was constructed in 1729, burnt down in 1774 and reconstructed in the 1800s. The sim has elaborate roof decorations of 15 parasols (symbolising Lao royalty) and staircase balustrades decorated with nagas. A bronze statue of the Buddha (Pha Sao Ong Sanesakid) survived the fire and is purported to grant wishes.
Wat Pa Phai (meaning bamboo forest) has grounds with numerous trees, sim doors featuring a leaping Rama thrashing a lion, and an entry way adorned with intricate gilt and glass mosaics of peacocks, nagas and birds in flight, as well as murals depicting simple village life.
Wat Xieng Mouan, with its encircling veranda, was constructed in 1853 to house temple drums acquired by King Chantarath. The wat runs a UNESCO program, funded originally by Norway, to teach young monks the arts of temple decoration, and their stencilling, woodcarving, lacquer work and cement sculptures are on display.
Wat Choum Khong was constructed in the mid-1800s and has been restored several times. The grounds have lovely gardens interspersed with statues of the Buddha showing various hand positions (mudras). The sim entry has three elaborately carved doors, and look for the two bronze Chinese gods standing guard.
Mount Phousi
Mount Phousi (meaning sacred mountain) is located at the city end of the peninsula. It’s a bit of a climb, over 300 steps, but take it slowly to enjoy the forest ambience. There are three different routes up.
The four-sided stupa at the top, That Chomsi, was built in 1804. It has lovely vistas of the city, but gets crowded just on sunset when tour buses unload their passengers. If you are an early bird, watching the sunrise is a better, and cooler, bet.
Two wats are located on the mountainside: Wat Siphoutabath, built in 1851, is named for the Buddha footprint on the path to the top, and Wat Pa Khe features bas-relief carvings of Dutch merchants on the temple doors and window shutters.
Just nearby
Wat Ho Pha Bang is located just inside the main gate of the National Museum grounds, on the Mekong side of Mt Phousi. It is being restored to house the 83-cm golden Buddha (Pha Bang) originally presented to King Fa Ngum.
Wat Aham and Wat Visounarat are on the Nam Khan side. Wat Aham has large banyan trees and effigies of two mythical guardian spirits. Originally constructed in 1512, Wat Visoun has a large domed stupa. In 1914 it was struck by lightning, and the gold, bronze and crystal Buddha statues inside are now in the National Museum.
Further afield
Rent a bike and ride to wats beyond the peninsula. Wat Manolom is about 2 km to the southwest. A group of gold stupas is located in the grounds. Although the site dates from King Fa Ngum, the current sim was built in 1972. It houses a revered, 6-metre bronze Buddha with long ears in the Thai Sukhothai style.
Nearby is Wat That Luang, meaning royal stupa, and the ashes of King Sisavang Vong are kept here. The sim has silver-lacquered door panels and 15 parasol ornaments on the roof.
To the southeast of the city is Santi Chedi (meaning peace pagoda). It was built in 1988 with donations from a wealthy Lao living overseas. There are colourful painted murals depicting the Buddha’s life, as well as views of the city from the upper terrace.
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Over the river and up the hill
Take the ferry across the Mekong River to explore the wats on the other side. The walking trail between wats is at the base of the hill, but to reach a wat, you have to climb the stairs. Wat Long Khun was the meditation site for Lao kings before their coronation, Wat Tham Xieng Maen has a small cave shrine that you can enter with a local guide, Wat Chom Phet has great views back across the river to Luang Prabang, and Wat Xieng Men site was established in the 1500s, although the current sim dates from the 1920s.
You can also hire a boat or take a tour to Pak Ou Caves, a couple hours upstream from Luang Prabang. Located in towering limestone cliffs, the caves are now home to more than 6000 Buddha statues ‘retired’ from their former wats.
Where to stay
There are numerous backpacker hostels, guest houses and hotels in Luang Prabang; you can pay from a few dollars to a more than $1500 a night, depending on your tastes and your budget. Read the reviews online, then choose a place not too far from the city centre so that you have easy access to the temples, as well as museums, restaurants, day and night markets, and views of the rivers.
Tours
Full-day city tours take in a range of sights, including a few of the main temples. Prices are usually quoted in US dollars. Most day tours are between $70 and $115 US dollars. For a good overview of the options, see https://au.viator.com/Luang-Prabang-attractions/Wat-Xieng-Thong-Golden-City-Temple/d5466-a13111.
However, if you’re a true temple fan, you’re best to do it on your own, on foot or bike, at your own pace. You can download the GPSMyCity walking tour app to accompany you at https://www.gpsmycity.com/tours/luang-prabang-temple-walking-tour-4352.html.
If you overdose on temples, there is plenty more to do. Most of the tour companies specialise in adventure tours, such as biking, kayaking or elephant riding, or visiting local sights, such as Kuang Xi Falls, the Butterfly Park, the Buffalo Dairy, or nearby villages producing silk, mulberry paper, pottery or whiskey (lao lao).
In summary
The temples described above are the tip of the iceberg. There are many more local temples, each with their own charm. You can easily spend a couple days, or a week, or a month, or a year in Luang Prabang and still find more temples to explore and more things to do. Enjoy!
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