Haw Phra Kaew, also written as Ho Prakeo, Hor Pha Keo and other similar
spellings, is a former temple in Vientiane, Laos.
It was first built in 1565 to house the Emerald Buddha, but has been rebuilt
several times.
The interior now houses a museum of religious art and a small shop.
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Entrance to the Haw Phra Kaew.
Haw Phra Kaew is situated on Setthathirath Road, to the southeast of Wat
Si Saket.
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Haw Phra Kaew facade.
Haw Phra Kaew was built in 1565–1566 on the orders of King Setthathirath
after he moved the capital from Luang Prabang to Vientiane.
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The temple was built on the grounds of the royal palace to house the
Emerald Buddha figurine, which Setthathirath had brought from Chiang
Mai, then the capital of Lanna, to Luang Prabang.
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The temple was used as Setthathirath's personal place of worship, and
because of this, there were no resident monks in this temple unlike
other temples in Laos.
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The Emerald Buddha stayed in the temple for over 200 years, but in
1779, Vientiane was seized by the Siamese General Chao Phraya Chakri,
the figurine was looted and taken to Thonburi and the temple
destroyed.
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The Emerald Buddha now resides in Wat Phra Kaew in Bangkok, and is
considered the palladium of Thailand.
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Haw Phra Kaew seen from the west.
The temple was rebuilt in 1816 by King Anouvong, with a new image
crafted in place of the lost Emerald Buddha.
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However, the temple was again destroyed in 1828 when King Anouvong
rebelled against Siam in an attempt to regain full independence, and
Vientiane was razed to the ground by Siamese forces in retaliation.
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The temple was rebuilt by the French between 1936 and 1942 during the
colonial period of French Indochina. The surviving structures of the
old temple were used as the basis for the rebuilding; however, even
though it followed the plan of the old temple, the rebuilt temple
resembles more of a 19th-century Bangkok-style ubosot or
sim.
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In the 1970s the temple was converted from a place of worship to a
museum.
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Buddha Calling for Rain in the cloiste.
This standing buddha in the so called calling for rain posture, is
typical for Laos.
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Buddha Calling the Earth to Witness in the cloister.
Buddha holds his right hand downward in the earth-touching gesture
(bhumisparsha mudra) with which he calls the earth goddess to affirm
that he is entitled to attain enlightenment following his triumph over
Mara, the destroyer.
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A number of Buddhas are placed on the terrace, including stone Buddhas
dating from the 6th to 9th century, and bronze standing and seated
Buddha of later periods.
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Stone jar from the Plain of Jars.
The building is set in a landscaped garden, and among the items on
display in the garden is a 2,000 year old stone jar from the Plain of
Jars of Xieng Khouang Plateau.
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The Plain of Jars is a megalithic archaeological landscape in Laos.
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It consists of thousands of stone jars scattered around the upland
valleys and the lower foothills of the central plain of the
Xiangkhoang Plateau.
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The jars are arranged in clusters ranging in number from one to
several hundred.
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See more at
Plain of Jars - Wikipedia.
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See also
Source
Location
