Wat That Luang (Royal Stupa Temple), Luang Prabang

Wat That Luang – also known as the ‘Temple of the Royal Stupa’ has deep connections to the royal family. It is believed that some of Luang Prabang’s first monasteries were located on the site, which sits above the old stadium on a large area of elevated land. The current temple was built by King Manthatourath in 1818. Up until 1975, the site was used as a place to hold funeral rites and cremate some of the country’s highest dignitaries.

Due to the large number of monks and novices who live at this temple, it’s a great place to go to observe Buddhist rituals and daily life. There’s an elevated tower at the front of the temple were you can witness young monks beating a large buffalo-skin drum at 4pm on the full moon and dark moon. If you time your visit ahead of the Boat Racing festival in August/September, you can see local men working on their boats and painting their paddles.

Wat That Luang main entrance.

Holy Tree.
The holy tree is located immediately to the left of the main entrance.

Access ramp to the temple.
This access ramp is located after the holy tree and before the Buddha shrine for each day of the week.

Shrine with the Buddhas of the seven days of the week.
The shrine with the weekday Buddhas is located on the right, just after the ramp following the main entrance.

Buddhas on the northwest side of the courtyard.
The Buddhas on the northwest side are located just after the shrine with the weekday Buddhas.

Three large Buddhas are followed by ten smaller Buddhas.

Attached shrine.
This shrine is located to the southeast, on the left side of the entrance.

Earth goddess (Nang Talinee) in front of the ordination hall.
According to Laos mythology, Nang Talinee is the earth goddess. She rose from the depths of the earth to help Buddha, fighting against the demon god Mara.

According to Buddhist myths, Phra Mae Thorani is personified as a young woman wringing the cool waters of detachment out of her hair to drown Mara, the demon sent to tempt Gautama Buddha as he meditated under the Bodhi Tree.
See more at Phra Mae Thorani - Wikipedia.

Facade of the ordination hall (Sim).
Wat That Luang sits on a hillock with the driveway leading from the entrance archway sloping uphill.

There are two main stupas at Wat That Luang, one on the front of the sim (left) while the other at the rear (right).
The one in front is said to house the remains of King Sisavangvong.
The one behind is said to house relics of the Buddha.
Smaller stupas containing the ashes of other members of royalty and noblemen as also found around the temple compound.

Renovation of the ordination hall roof (Yes).

Dok so faa ornamentation on the roof of the main sim.
Wat That Luang is one of the more important monasteries in Luang Prabang, Laos. This is because the monastery has long been associated with Luang Prabang royalty.

This is indicated by the dok so faa ornamentation on the roof of the main sim.
The dok so faa of Wat That Luang consists of 15 metal parasols denoting the royal status of the temple.
Indeed one of Luang Prabang's most imminent monarchs, King Sisavangvong, was buried here. The stupa containing the king's remains is located in front of the main congregational hall, or sim.

Monitoring the progress of renovation work.
The abbot of the monastery monitors the progress of work on renovating the roof of the ordination hall.