Luang Prabang - The Rough Guide to Laos - page 171

THE PHA BANG
Much more than an ancient image of the Buddha, the Pha Bang is the palladium of Laos.
The pursuit and enshrining of palladial images has a long history in Southeast Asia, full
of intrigue and Byzantine plotting. Like Thailand's Phra Kaew and Burma's Mahamuni
Buddha images, the Pha Bang is believed to possess miraculous powers that safeguard the
country in which it is enshrined. Formerly, palladial images were thought to legitimize the
sovereignty of a king who had one in his possession. Only a pious king with sufficient re-
ligious merit could hope to hold onto such an image, and losing it was thought to be proof
that a kingdom and its ruler did not deserve to possess it. Thus the histories of certain pal-
ladia read like the itinerary of some much coveted sacred sword or holy grail.
According to Lao legend, the Pha Bang image was cast of gold, silver, copper, iron and
precious stones. Overseen by the god Indra, who donated gold for its creation, the image
was crafted in the heavens above the Himalayas and then delivered to the capital of Sri
Lanka. From there the image made its way to Cambodia and then to the city of XiengDong
Xieng Thong , later renamed Luang Prabang (the Great Pha Bang) in its honour. In the
early eighteenth century, the Pha Bang was moved to Vientiane, by now the capital. Twice
the Siamese invaded Vientiane, capturing the image, and twice they returned it to the Lao,
believing that the Pha Bang was bad luck for Siam.
Since 1867, the Pha Bang has been kept in Luang Prabang, where to this day it is con-
sidered the most sacred Buddha image in Laos and centrepiece of the Lao New Year festiv-
al . At least, that's the official story. Persistent rumours have circulated since the revolution
that the authentic Pha Bang was removed from its ornate pedestal and given to the Soviets
in return for assistance to the Pathet Lao during the war. The image on display is said to
be a copy, while the real Pha Bang is locked away in some vault in Moscow, its powers no
longer serving as a talisman for Laos.
Wat Mai
Sisavangvong Rd, just south of the Royal Palace ∙ 10,000K
Wat Mai Suwannaphumaham, or Wat Mai for short, has what must surely be Luang Pra-
bang's most photographed sim after that of Wat Xieng Thong. The monastery dates from the
late eighteenth or early nineteenth century (depending on whom you believe), but it is the
sim 's relatively modern facade with its gilt stucco reliefs that forms the main focus of atten-
tion. Depicting the second-to-last incarnation of the Buddha set amid traditional Lao scenes,
the facade was created in the 1960s and has since been restored. Like most examples of mod-
ern Lao temple ornamentation, it looks impressive from a distance, but loses some of its lustre
up close. During Lao New Year, Wat Mai is a hive of activity, as it is here that the Pha Bang
is put on display so that the faithful can ritually bathe the image.