Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
is being forced to flee a pack of rabid dogs by climbing a tree studded with wicked thorns.
Other unfortunate souls are being cooked in a copper cauldron of boiling oil (for committing
murder) or are suspended by a hook through their tongues (guilty of telling lies).
In the rafters above and to the right of the main entrance runs a long, gilded wooden aque-
duct or trough resembling the shape of a mythical serpent. During Lao New Year, lustral
water is poured into a receptacle in the serpent's tail and spouts from its mouth, bathing a
Buddha image housed in a wooden pagoda-like structure situated near the altar. A drain in the
floor of the pagoda channels the water through pipes under the floor of the sim and the water
then pours from the mouth of a mirror-spangled elephant'shead located on the exterior wall.
Covering the exterior of the back wall of the sim is a mosaic , said to depict a legendary
flame tree that stood on the site when the city was founded. This particular composition is
especially beautiful during the Festival of Lights, when the sim is decked out with khom fai
dao , star-shaped lanterns constructed of bamboo and mulberry paper. The flickering candle-
light illuminates the tree and animals in the mosaic, making them twinkle magically.
The Standing Buddha Shrine and the Red Chapel
To the left of the sim , as you face it, stands a small white-stucco shrine containing a standing
Buddha image. The purple and gold mirrored mosaics on the pediments of the structure are
especially intricate and probably the country's finest example of this kind of ornamentation,
which is thought to have originated in Thailand and spread to Myanmar (Burma) as well.
Directly behind the shrine is a larger structure, covered in striking, colourful mosaic pieces
depicting village life and known to French art historians as “La Chapelle Rouge”, the Red
Chapel . The sinuous reclining Buddha image enshrined within is one of Laos's greatest
sculptures in bronze.
The Funerary Carriage Hall
On the other side of the monastery grounds is the Funerary Carriage Hall or haw latsalot ,
a rare example of a modern Lao religious structure that manages to impress. Built in 1962, it
has wide teakwood panels deeply carved with depictions of Rama, Sita, Ravana and Hanu-
man, all characters from Phra Lak Pha Lam , the Lao version of the Ramayana. Check out the
carved window shutters on the building's left side where Hanuman, the King of the Monkeys,
is depicted in pursuit of the fairer sex.
Inside, the principal article on display is the latsalot , the royal funerary carriage, used to
transport the mortal remains of King Sisavang Vong to cremation. The vehicle is built in the
form of several bodies of parallel naga, whose jagged fangs and dripping tongues heralded
the king's final passage through Luang Prabang. Atop the carriage are three urns of gilded
sandalwood, which were used to keep royal corpses in an upright foetal position until the
cremation. The urns at the front and rear of the carriage held the remains of the king's fath-
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