Visiting Pagodas in Laos early Year

Annually, after Lunar New Year, Vietnamese people usually make a pilgrimage on a purpose of bowing the Buddha in many places. Not only do they visit domestic pagodas but also their neighbor countries’ ones. Besides, Laos is considered as an ideal place for pilgrim.

 

Laos, estimated, has more than 1400 temples. In the Vientian capital, tourists can visit Si Muang Temple. It has a combination of the belief of the Buddha and Laotian’s primitiveness one. There are many legends relating to this temple, however, “Si Muang” is truly the name of women about 300 years ago. This temple, by Lao citizens worship, commemorates her as well as perform their traditional ritual- which a thread is fastened around the wrist, in order to pray for luckiness.

In this capital, visitors can also travel to the ancient Wat Sisaket temple, which was built in 1818 and based on architecture of Siam Buddhism. This temple creates impression, for many corridors with walls decorated with more than 2000 Buddha s’ pictures made of brass, precious wood, pottery, porcelain, gold-plated, and silver-plated.

In the capital, the That Luang reliquary is the world cultural heritage as well as the symbol of Laos. “That Luong” or “That Luang” is a Buddhist gold-inlaid stupa built in 1566 and on the ruins of India Temple in century 13. Annually, national Thuat Luang festival is held at the middle week of November.

On the other hand, tourists can visit Buddha Park (sculpture garden of the Buddhas) in Xieng Khuan located 25 km southeast from the capital, Vientiane. This park contains more than 200 stone Buddhist and Hindu statues, and an outstanding giant 40-meter sculpture of the Buddha is lying and propping his head up by the right hand side. Additionally, there are sculptures of human, gods, animals, and demons... in this park.

The ancient capital of Luang Prabang, an UNESCO world cultural heritage as well as Buddhist center of Laos, is another interesting spot for travelers to enjoy when coming to Laos. In this old capital, visitors can get a chance to call on Vat Mai temple in a spacious and airy campus. This temple is preserved in a special way because it had been belong to royal as well as accommodation of Pra Sangkharat and the highest Lao Buddhist dignitaries. The gold Prabang Buddha statue used to be preserved here, but then until 1947, it was moved to royal palace which is turning to royal museum now.

Leaving Vat Mai temple, tourists should walk to on the top of Phou Si moutain with twenty-meter That Chom Si tower, built in 1804 under the King of Anourout and restored at the latest time in 1994 by UNESCO. This tower is considered as a symbol of the Luang Parang ancient capital. Besides small Buddhist temple next to That Chom Si Mountain, tourists are attracted with Parang Phoutthalawanh temple, containing many statues of the Buddha lying on rocks or in small caves, along 138-stair hill. Especially, the most outstanding statues are seven Buddha sculptures with different positions, which symbolizes seven days of week.

A tourist attraction cannot be ignored when visitors come to\r\nLuang Prabang as well as want to make pilgrimage in the\r\nearly years is Pak Ou's cave or Buddhist cave. Along Mekong River\r\nabout 25 km, tourist will get to a quite wide cave located right on river\r\nbank with thousands of statues of Buddha made from various sizes and materials:\r\nwood, brass, gold… Following time and historical events, many statues of Buddha\r\nare not undamaged; however, without intervention of human, this Buddha cave can\r\nown its unique feature in a sacred and mysterious way.

Nguồn: thanhnien.com.vn

Mai PhÆ°Æ¡ng

Translated into English by Luong Bao Hoang Phuong.