Historical sign, Pha That Luang—Vientiane, Laos - Signs of History on Waymarking.com

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.

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This sign is at the main entrance to the stupa, just outside the surrounding wall. The sign is carved into wood, which makes it not that easy to read. The text is below, as is, though I have converted the text from all uppercase to a mix of upper and lowercase. The English used is not the absolute best:

PhrathatLuang
This stupa the original it was built in the 3rd century
and established of the muang Vientiane in the same time the
stupa for the contain abo som bone of the Lord Buddha
The original a small stupa made by the stone during
the reign of the great king Xaisethathirath in 16 century
after the king removed from the Luangphrabang reach
to Vientiane in 1560 A.D. and in 1566 A.D. the king has
enlargment of the Phrathatluang as we have seen
at the present

Group that erected the marker: Stupa administration. Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary: Central Vientiane. Vientiane, Vientiane Laos URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: Not listed

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