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Wat Si Saket (Hair Washing Temple), Vientiane

Wat Si Saket (Hair Washing Temple) is a Buddhist temple in Vientiane, Laos.

It is situated on Lan Xang Road, on the corner with Setthathirat Road, to the northwest of Haw Phra Kaew, which formerly held the Emerald Buddha.

Wat Si Saket was built in a contemporary style of Buddhist architecture at the time, with a surrounding terrace and an ornate five-tiered roof, which may have kept it safe, since the armies of Siam that sacked Vientiane following Anouvong's rebellion in 1827 used the compound as their headquarters and lodging place.

It may be the oldest temple still standing in Vientiane. The French colonial government restored Wat Si Saket in 1924 and again in 1930.

Wat Si Saket features a cloister wall with more than 2,000 ceramic and silver Buddha images.

Entrance to Wat Si Saket.
The entrance is to the southwest.


The library.
The library, the ho tai, in Burmese style, contained manuscripts of inestimable value, destroyed during the sack of the city.


Buddha in the monastery grounds.

Modern Buddhas in the monastery grounds.

Path and main entrance to the cloister.
The sanctuary is surrounded by a cloister with four gabled doors.


Facade of the ordination hall (Sim).

The ordination hall seen from the west.

Front of the ordination hall (left) and southwest main entrance to the cloister (right).

The ordination hall seen from the south.

Dragon on the roof of the ordination hall.

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.

  • This act was a key moment in the life of the Buddha, and thus this pose and hand gesture have been used repeatedly for depictions of the Buddha in art.

Buddha Calling for Rain in the cloiste.
This standing buddha in the so called calling for rain posture, is typical for Laos.


More Buddhas Calling the Earth to Witness in the cloister.

Buddha Calming the Ocean in the cloister.
Although both hands raised in Abhaya mudra is called “calming the ocean”, the gesture refers to an event when the Buddha stopped a flood caused by a river.

  • During a journey, the Buddha came to the village of three hermits who were fire worshipers. He requested one of them, named Kasyapa, for a place to spend the night. The hermit gave the Buddha a hut on the banks of the river. When the raging river threatened to submerge the hut, the Buddha stopped the waters from rising. Seeing this, the hermits and their followers became followers of the Buddha.

Trough for holy water (Hanglin).
Located behind the ordination hall, shaped like a mythical serpent, it is used in Lao New Year celebrations.

  • Water is poured into a container on the serpent's tail, runs along the trough and gushes from its mouth, bathing an image of Buddha housed in a wooden structure near the altar.

See also

Source

Location

Location: XJ76+7GG, Ave Lane Xang, Vientiane, Laos