Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Supposedly, the first Lao people came here in the 8th century, when they were worshipping
the spirits of nature. By the 16th century, Buddhism was the religion of royalty, and the
royal family visited here as part of the New Year celebrations until 1975. The shrines are
cleaned every April and repainted as part of the annual religious ceremonies; people also
bring their Buddha images here to be ceremonially washed with holy water. A sign shows a
reproduction of a drawing of the cave from the 1860's, and the Australian and Lao govern-
ments started a five-year conservation project in 1992. The caves are still fairly well-kept,
thanks presumably to the donations and offerings that come in - over 4,000 sculptures are
present and were mostly donated by worshippers.
If you're clever, you'll figure out how to take a picture with your camera in almost complete
darkness sans flash. As a hint, there are a few solid, flat places to rest your camera around
waist level...
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