Playing Tourist in Vientiane

With two years down and just a few weeks remaining, I decided it was time to visit two of the major tourist attractions in Vientiane. Wat Sisaket and Haw Pha Kaew are located less than a kilometer from my house and I pass them several times a week, but I had never actually gone inside--until today, that is.



Wat Sisaket was built in 1818 by Chao Anou and was the only major temple spared when the Siamese forces destroyed many parts of the city. Apparently over 2000 Buddha images are in the niches with 300 of the larger statues in the square cloister around the main hall. The temple is badly in need of the renovations which are underway, but unfortunately for me, the construction work detracts from the temples overall impression. I can imagine, however, than in its day when the murals were fresh and the grounds clean, it was quite awe-inspiring.






Across the street is Haw Pha Kaew. This former royal temple was reportedly built originally in 1565 by King Setthathirath to house the Emerald Buddha after Vientiane was made the capital of the Lan Xang Kingdom. The Emerald Buddha was ‘reclaimed’ by the Siamese in 1779 and installed it in Wat Phra Kaew of Bangkok. The current building was rebuilt between 1936 and 1942 after the original temple was razed in 1828. As wats go, the inside of the temple is quite unimpressive with plain white walls and ceiliings, although apparently if I knew more about Buddhist imagery I would be impressed by the rare Buddha poses. (As an irreverent side note, I was struck by prominent nipples on the statues and couldn’t help but wonder if he was cold). Others have said the external structure is equally unimpressive, but I have often found myself admiring the beauty of this temple, particularly when the flood lights illuminate the night sky. The garden is particularly nice and I enjoyed roaming around as the dark clouds rolled in and brought in cooler air. It made for a nice Sunday afternoon stroll.