| Ho
Phra Keo (originally 16th century, rebuilt 1936-42)
other
sites in Vientiane |
Vientiane, Laos |
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Ho Phra Keo (Jewel Buddha Image; Wat Phra Keo in Thai) is a former monastery and long served as royal temple of the Lao monarchs. Originally built in the 16th century by King Setthathirat, it housed the Emerald Buddha (actually carved from a type of jade). It was carried off to by the Siamese in 1779 and placed in the Bangkok temple of the same name.
The original temple was destroyed during the Siamese invasion of 1828 and rebuilt between 1936 and 1942. The main hall is impressive in size and contains excellent examples of Lao Buddhist sculpture. Although photography is not permitted inside the main hall, there are numerous scultures on the veranda.
Bibliography:
Some images copyright 2002 by professor Robert D. Fiala of Concordia University, Nebraska, USA
Most images copyright 2003 Thomas Knierim
Text by Robert D. Fiala
Joe Cummings, Lonely Planet: Laos. 3rd. ed., 1998.