Category: Travel within Asia

Vientiane

Recently, I joined Abby on her trip to Laos, starting in Vientiane. This is a city I have long wanted to visit: just the name itself has always conjured up for me an air of romance and mystery. And having now seen it, I honestly can say that of all the world capitols I have visited, Vientiane is definitely one of them.

It’s not that the place is without merit. The temples—similar to Thai temples, but a little more ornate—are lovely. The colonial-era architecture, where it still exists, is crumbly and charming. Everything else, though, is unremarkable. Take, for example, the Victory Monument, which is one of the most prominent attractions in the city. Its own sign reads

At the northeastern end of the LaneXang Ave. arises a huge structure resembling the Arc de Triomphe. It is the Patuxay or Victory Gate of Vientiane, built in 1962 (B.E 2505), but never complete due to the country’s turbulent history. From a closer distance, it appears even less impressive, like a monster of concrete. Nowadays this place is used as leisure ground for the people of Vientiane and the seven floor on the top of the building serves as excellent viewpoint over the city.

One of the more interesting entries in the guidebook was the That Dam, or Black Stupa. One website reads

Known as the “Black Stupa”, many locals believe this mythological structure was once inhabited by a seven-headed dragon (now dormant) that stood to protect the city from the threat of the Siamese. Another tale that does the rounds says that the gold that once graced the surface was taken when the Siamese army ransacked Vientiane back in 1828. … Nevertheless, the Lao still regard That Dam as the city’s guardian spirit. Legend, folklore, and history all combine to make this structure a curious and charming place to visit. It makes a change from most religious sites in nearby Thailand, for example, where stupas and temples are endlessly renovated and rebuilt, and history, at best, is lost and buried deep within them.

No, this one has not been renovated or rebuilt, but it is charming in a curious way.

On the other hand, the Pha That Luang, located about four kilometers away from the city center, or Golden Stupa, is far more stately. Pha That Luang is a 16th century Buddhist temple covered with gold leaf. The Thai army destroyed it (along with the Black Stupa) in 1828, and it has undergone three reconstructions since.

Actually, it doesn’t offer a lot to see beyond the gold-ness of it, but it’s very restful.

Next: the Buddha Park

Banteay Kdei

The last temple is Banteay Kdei (“The Citadel of Cells”), also built by Jayavarman VII. Reportedly, it was built with an inferior grade of sandstone, which may account for its utter dilapidation today. One website notes, interestingly, that “Though Jayavarman VII was credited with building many temples, he was also accused of squandering money on extravagant temple building projects at the expense of society and other duties.”

 

 

More temples from Siem Reap

The next temples at Angkor Wat—East Mebon and Pre Rup—are 10th century Shaivite Hindu temples. Built approximately 10 years apart, they look very similar, with reddish brick and four-sided, pyramidical towers.

First, East Mebon:

Followed by Pre Rup, which, as I said, looks similar:

Next: One more temple, then a new country.

 

 

Banteay Srei

The next temple we visited was Banteay Srei, also known as the Pink Temple for the color of the sandstone with which it is built. Banteay Srei was consecrated to the Hindu god Shiva in the 10th century and fell out of use some 300 years later. It was rediscovered in 1914, and nine years later—fun fact—André Malraux stole four devata statues from the site, a stunt for which he was arrested. News of the event sparked increased interest in the site, and the authorities began clearing it the following year. Given how old it is, the carvings are in remarkable condition.

First, the outer walls and the walls of the third enclosure (there are three sets of walls in total), along with detail from the pediments.

After that, the interior of the temple grounds, including two small libraries and a sanctuary. None of the building interiors were accessible to the public, so we just walked around and looked. And looked. And looked. As physically small as the site is, there still was not enough time to absorb it all.

We can’t go without showing this happy fellow: the kala, who (according to one interpretation) is a manifestation of Shiva, representing time as the devourer of all things.

Bayon

After Angkor Wat, we saw Bayon. Bayon was the state temple for Jayavarman VII, built as “the centrepiece of [his] massive program of monumental construction and public works”. The temple is most noted for the 216 faces carved on its towers, which—some scholars say—are copies of Jayavarman’s own face, in his role as a representation of the Buddha.

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