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Hai Sok (originally 16th c., rebuilt 19th c.)
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Vientiane, Laos |
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Wat Ong Teu Mahawihan (The Temple of the Heavy Buddha) was originally built in the 16th century by King Setthathirat, the builder of Pha That Luang. Like the Great Stupa, it was destroyed in the Siamese invasion of 1828 and was later rebuilt in the 19th century. The temple takes its name from the massive 16th century bronze Buddha image, the largest in Vientiane. The temple is also the residence of the Lao Supreme Patriarch.
Bibliography:
All images copyright 2002 by professor Robert D. Fiala of Concordia University, Nebraska, USA
Text by Robert D. Fiala
Joe Cummings, Lonely Planet: Laos. 3rd. ed., 1998.