Manikhoth Sacred Tree Temple, Champasak

Manikhoth Sacred Tree Temple is a Buddhist temple in Khone Phapheng Falls, Champasak, Laos.

The “tree” at the entrance to the site is very famous. It used to stand on a rock in the middle of the waterfall but toppled over in 2012 due to flooding.

The public wanted to save it, however, as according to an ancient epic poem adapted from the Ramayana, the tree has supernatural powers.

After several attempts, the tree was finally brought to the shown place on safe shores by a helicopter.

Saving Manikhoth Sacred Tree.
Provincial authorities in Champassak were overwhelmed with requests from concerned local residents to rescue a sacred manikhoth tree - a sacred tree in Buddhist tradition - from being swept away by the Mekong River after it toppled over.

The tree stood on a rock in the middle of Khonephapeng Falls, a thunderous 10km-wide waterfall in the southernmost province of Champassak, close to the border with Cambodia.
Local residents wanted authorities to remove the tree from the river and display it properly as a cultural relic. The fallen tree was still partially on the ground, while part of the trunk was in the river, and local residents feared that the sacred tree would be swept away by the strong current.
According to local media, the tree fell on March 19, 2012, sparking public reaction as far north as Vientiane due to its supposed supernatural powers.
The manikhoth appears as a sacred tree in the ancient Sanskrit epic of Phra Lak-Phra Lam or Ramayana. A manikhoth has three limbs and according to legend, fruit eaten from the first limb will bring eternal youth and long life, the second will bring great power and status, while fruit eaten from the third limb, pointing west, brings bad luck – the eater will turn into a monkey.
The people of Khong District believe that the fallen tree is sacred and has the powers stated in the epic. Champassak authorities reported that many people were trying to collect pieces of the tree for good luck and health, and some were profiting from selling pieces of peeling bark, claiming they contained the powers of the manikhoth tree if consumed.
The practice is not limited to Champassak province. Some people even wrote an advertisement to sell manikhoth bark, saying it has supernatural powers, a Vientiane resident told the Vientiane Times.
“Only birds can get to the tree,” said an elderly woman in the nearby village of Thakhor.
According to locals, branches of the tree that were found floating in the Mekong in the past are kept in some homes for religious purposes or sold to believers.
Champassak authorities eventually safely removed the tree from the river.

Manikhoth Sacred Tree Temple seen from the north.

Manikhoth Sacred Tree Temple seen from the northwest.

Vase with lotus on the handrail leading to the temple.

Believers depositing offerings to the tree spirit.
A sacred tree or holy tree is a tree which is considered to be sacred, or worthy of spiritual respect or reverence.

Such trees appear throughout world history in various cultures including the ancient Hindu mythology, Greek, Celtic and Germanic mythologies.

Believers praying to the tree spirit.
Sacred trees also continue to hold profound meaning in contemporary culture in places like Japan (shinboku), Korea (dangsan namu), India (bodhi tree), and the Philippines, among others.

Tree worship is core part of religions which include aspects of animism as core elements of their belief, which is the eco-friendly belief that trees, forests, rivers, mountains, etc have a life force ('anime' i.e. alive) and need to be conserved and used in a sustainable manner.