Wat Haw Phra Kaew—Vientiane City, Laos
Posted by: 
Ianatlarge
N 17° 57.714 E 102° 36.678
48Q E 247011 N 1987597
The premier wat in the capital city of Laos as depicted on the 20,000 Kip (~$2) Lao banknote.
Waymark Code: WMERK6
Location: Laos
Date Posted: 07/01/2012
Views: 6
The Site:
Wat Haw Phra Kaew was built between 1565 and 1556, on the orders of King Lao (Vientiane) King Setthathirath. It was originally used as the personal temple of the various Lao royal families. Also, the temple at one time housed the Emerald Buddha, an important Buddhist relic, which has been the instigator of much strife over the centuries. The temple was destroyed and rebuilt several times, rebuilt most recently in 1930s by the French colonial government. it is unstated, but the temple shows signs of recent renovation.
The Wat now stands in central Vientiane. It consists of large and well landscaped grounds. The ordination hall is large and impressive and contains excellent examples of Lao Buddhist sculpture. Part of the hall is a small museum. The larger part functions as a wat. Photography is not permitted in either. There are several stone artefacts in the grounds, which look severely worn, these may be original pieces, however, there is no provenance available.
This is one of the sights on the Vientiane tourist circuit.
The Banknote:
The obverse of the 20,000 Kip note depicts, as its centrepiece, President Kaysone Phomvihane, and to one side Wat Haw Pra Keaw.
The depiction of the temple is not entirely realistic. As shown the surrounding wall would block the photograph. The image used here shows the temple viewed as seen when one approaches from the front entrance.
Money Issuing Country: Laos
Currency: Kip
Denomination: 20,000
Date of Issue: 01/01/2002
Type of Money: Bank note
Relevant Website: [Web Link]
Law and Order:
Yes!
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