Pha That Luang—Vientiane, Laos - Numismatic Photographs on Waymarking.com

The Stupa:
The stupa Pha That Luang (Great Stupa) is a gold-covered large Buddhist stupa in the centre of the capital of Laos, the city of Vientiane. It is surrounded by other cultural important buildings and artefacts, and is considered one of the defining symbols of the nation.

The temple housed a Buddhist relic, a bone of the Buddha. The original construction dates back to the 3rd century AD, when a much small Buddhist temple was constructed on this site. In the 13th century, at the height of the Khmer Empire, the temple was rebuilt in the Khmer style. Then in the 15th century the temple was again rebuilt in the style seen today. In 1828, along with the rest of the city, the temple was destroyed by the Thai army. In the late 19th century and then in the 1930s the French administration of Laos restored the temple.

At the current time the stupa is in a pristine state, as befits its role as a national symbol, and tourist attraction.

The stupa is approximately 50m on a side, a approximately 50m high. It is a bright gold in colour, and an attractive site. The grounds of the stupa are surrounded by a wall and are now generally closed, opened only on organised occasions or somewhat haphazardly (I was told) for causal visitors (such as myself). The grounds contain historical statues and cultural artefacts.

The details of the stupa history are hard to come by, and are somewhat contradictory, however, the stupa clearly shows that its fortunes waxed and waned in conjunction with the surrounding governments and political powers.


The Banknote:
This is the Lao 50,000 Kip banknote, worth ~$5us. It is a note in common usage. The obverse depicts the late Lao President Kaysone Phomvihane (1920-92), with the stupa behind him. Also on the banknote is the Lao national seal, which is also the stupa. This note was put into circulation in 2004. The stupa has been used on a total of seven Lao banknotes. This is the highest denomination.
The image used on the banknote differs somewhat from the actual site, in that part of the enclosing wall has been removed.

Money Issuing Country: Laos Currency: Kip Denomination: 50,000 Type of Money: Bank note Law and Order: Yes! Date of Issue: Not listed Relevant Website: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
To post a visit log for this category, you must visit the actual site of the waymark. Post at least one photo that you personally took of the site if at all possible. If you cannot provide a photo for some reason, your visit will still be welcome.

You do NOT need to be a numismatic collector to visit the waymark site, nor do you have to provide a photo of the piece of money. Just having a copy of it in question, however, is not sufficient; you must personally visit the site.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log   11/16/2017 franketmuriel visited it 03/27/2015 ChrisA33 visited it

View all visits/logs