Vat Visounnarath, one of oldest temples in Luang Prabang
The temple is located on Visounnarath Road in Visoun village, close to the centre of Luang Prabang.
The Sim at Visoun temple.
People believe that the temple is sacred because it is one of the oldest in the town and contains numerous special features. It was also once the home of the revered Prabang Buddha image.
The temple was originally built in 1512 and finished in 1913, during the reign of King Visounnarath, and represents the earliest style of Lao temple architecture, sometimes referred to as Luang Prabang Classic Style.
As with most temples around the country, the temple complex contains an ordination building or sim , monk's houses, stupas, a drum tower, donation hall, and other structures.
The temple recently received US$1,250,000 from the US Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation. The fund handover ceremony was held on October 17.
The fund will be used in maintaining the buildings and other parts inside the temple, especially the ordination hall or Sim . The grant was made because the Sim is very old and its roof needs to be repaired.
The Visoun temple preservation project commenced late last month and is expected to finish within seven months.
The temple has a colourful history because its sim was originally crafted from wood before being burned down in 1887 when Luang Prabang was largely destroyed and looted by Black Haw riders. Much of the sim and the city were destroyed during that incident.
The Black Haw riders were part of the Black Flag military rebel group led by a Chinese commander at the end of the 1880s.
The Haw left with most of the priceless Buddha images made from jade, gold and precious gems by breaking open the Makmo stupa.
The temple was rebuilt by using stucco and brick and retains some original pieces including a stupa that was created in 1932 along with some other small Buddha images although many were stolen during the Haw raid.
Most of the partitions in the original building were made of carved wood, and the exterior, as portrayed in the engraving, made it one of the most beautiful in Luang Prabang. It also housed a major collection of rich religious objects and other items.
Dating back to the reign of King Visounarath (Visoun), this temple was once home to the Prabang Buddha image.
The temple also acted as a Museum of Religious Arts and as such homes an array of religious property and precious items relating to both Buddhism and the royal family.
The Visounarath temple is now one of the most famous visiting sites of Luang Prabang and it is home to Buddha images, religious items and some ancient stones dating back to the 15th century.
The temple is still functioning today and is open daily to visitors with plenty of information available about its fascinating history, architecture, and art.
One of the temple's most unique features is its unusually shaped stupa originally called That Pathoum , designed by the wife of King Visounarath to be a lotus flower but referred to by locals as ‘the watermelon stupa' or That Makmo because it looks like one part of watermelon.
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