14 Architecture Wat Xieng Thong roof edge showing the cho faa now painted in turquoise A view of Wat Xieng Thong taken from within the compound Many of the stencils are repaired by monks. © All photos by Denise Heywood By DENISE HEYWOOD THE 35 BUDDHIST temples of Luang Prabang are delicate structures in need of frequent renovation. Damage caused by neglect, tropical Luang Prabang rain, humidity and heat, together with the impact of increasing numbers of tourists, all erode the buildings. This year Wat Xieng Thong, the most important and magnificent wat in Luang Prabang, and Wat Pak Khan, one of the smallest but oldest in the city, have both undergone restoration Temple Renovation and further enhance the cultural and aesthetic value of the former royal created it in memory of the legendary capital of Laos. present, this denotes a temple built by King Chanthaphanith, whose stories Luang Prabang became a a king. The dok so faa symbolises are depicted in golden stencilled UNESCO World Heritage Site in Mount Meru, abode of the gods, the imagery inside the main sim. 1993. Maintaining and conserving axis mundi, centre of the world, Traditionally wats were grouped sacred monuments is the highest surrounded by the seven mythical around royal residences, built with priority, along with preserving the chain of mountains of Hindu royal patronage or by affluent secular buildings as well, but funding mythology. In Laos, religion is individuals, as funding the building of is always needed. For Wat Xieng syncretic, incorporating Hindu, a wat gains merit in Buddhism. The Thong, a contribution of some Buddhist and animistic references. king employed master craftsmen and US$330,000 came from the United Cho faa, finials in the form of nagas, architects, specialists in ivory, wood, States Ambassadors Fund for the serpent of Hindu mythology, now gold or silver, carving and stencilling, Cultural Preservation in Vientiane, freshly painted in turquoise, rear up at and monks themselves worked as the current capital, and made possible the triangular tip of each roof, as if to carpenters, sculptors and painters. The vital repairs during an eight-month raise them up again. Although colours upkeep of most wats, and that of the project between 2012 and 2013. At are now, somewhat controversially, monks living within them, is entirely Wat Pak Khan repairs and restoration brighter than before, the repairs were dependent upon donations from the were funded by The Badur Foundation sympathetic to the original designs. community. But supporting the and carried out by the The Buddhist The tiles all had to be carefully monastery and giving alms to the Heritage Project under the auspices numbered when removed to ensure monks also brings merit to the donors. of the The Lao Buddhist Fellowship that they would each be put back in Always well maintained, Wat Xieng together with the Department of their original places. Damaged pieces Stencil repair at Wat Xieng Thong Thong, much admired and described World Heritage. were replaced, ensuring matching in detail by French scholars during Wat Xieng Thong, which dates colours and materials, and attached the colonial regime, survived the back to 1559, needed immediate using traditional techniques that had ravages of wars and depredation and attention and the project involved the been employed when the temple was inspired UNESCO to make it – and conservation of architectural surfaces built. The edging of the roof is covered eventually the entire city of Luang of the main sim, the assembly hall, with golden motifs, foliage and Prabang – into a World Heritage Site. and its roof and the preservation of flowers, while the inner, underneath Situated at the tip of the supporting structures within the section is deep red and covered with promontory of Luang Prabang, where complex. The temple, the finest more gold dharma wheels which were the Nam Khan river flows into the example of religious architecture in restored. Golden, carved eave brackets Mekong, the site is, so legend relates, Laos, had to have many roof tiles support the lowest roof which is where a golden boundary stone was replaced and its intricate gold stencils edged with delicate golden pointed laid to demarcate the territory of the restored. The sim has characteristic leaf-like forms. city by two hermits who were brothers. successive cascading and telescoping The temple was built by King They became its tutelary spirits. Wat roofs that sweep down almost to the Setthathirat, who ruled from 1548- Xieng Thong – Xieng meaning city ground and completely dominate the 1571. It has always served as the and Thong meaning bodhi tree entire structure, like a huge, elaborate traditional coronation site for kings as (sometimes also described as a copper crown, with a golden decoration well as the focus of several annual tree) was known as Temple of the featuring 17 parasols, the dok so faa, in festivals honouring the Buddha and Golden City and was considered a the middle. If more than 12 are various folk spirits. King Setthathirat The kutis (meditation houses) at Wat Xieng Thong gateway to Luang Prabang. Set in a ASIA N ART SEPTEMBER 2013 Architecture 15 Detail of a restored door at Wat Pak Khan A monk helping with the repairs at Wat Xieng Thong One of the stencilled walls at Wat Xieng Thong peaceful compound, among ancient local artist, Thao Sing Kèo, of the tree, Badur Foundation. The Lao Buddhist these doorways and windows have banyan trees, palms, frangipani and the Thong, the bodhi tree, after which Fellowship Organisation was established enhanced the carvings to show the blazing scarlet and purple the temple was named, with a red in 1976 and aims to manage, develop sensitivity and refinement that artists bougainvillea, this graceful, classical background and details in silver, and educate Buddhists so that its brought to their sacred imagery. style wat, with all its shrines and turquoise, blue, purple and green. The members can observe and respect the Never monumental or overwhelming, chapels, radiates serenity and is Thong symbolised the initial laws of the country. With branches in the size and proportion of Lao especially atmospheric in the late boundary pillar planted by the two every province of Laos, it currently temples have a human scale which afternoon, as the sun drops behind holy hermits and, according to the incorporates 8,796 monks, 13,376 establishes an immediacy of contact the wat, when its gleaming gables and Lao legend The Myth of Khun Burom novices, 450 nuns and 563 sanghali in between the pilgrim and the sacred golden stencils shimmer beneath the resembled a tree from the celestial city 4,937 temples around the country. space, creating an intimacy where the cascading roof. of Indra with innumerable flowers Supporting the conservation of the worshipper is not overawed. This Cleaning these first was necessary, that blossomed eternally. The tree can temples reinforces its raison d’etre. As creates an atmosphere of calm and an exacting task, with careful also be interpreted as a Tree of Life, in many other Buddhist countries, acceptance that are the essential redrawing of the images which had resonant with notions of cosmic unity, education in Laos was conducted in spirit of Buddhism. faded badly was carried out by master as the roots reach down into the monasteries, where monks were Support for these two projects has craftsmen using lacquer and paper ground and the branches stretch trained and educated for years and been invaluable as Laos is still a cash- thin wafers of gold leaf as well as gold upwards to heaven. The tree-of-life then taught and advised the members strapped country with little industry paint. The external walls of the sim motif recurs throughout Southeast of the Sangha, the holy community, as apart from tourism. The US have a sumptuous jewel box Asia and is an archetypal cosmological well as lay people. A wat therefore has Ambassadors Fund for Cultural appearance, a riot of ornate gold symbol of the axis mundi, the link several functions. It is a site for Preservation has, since its creation by stencils of deities, mythological between the heavens, the earth and religious worship, a community the US Congress in 2001, generously animals, floral motifs and lotus the underworld. centre, a place of education and of provided financial aid for a total of 13 flowers. At the top of the outer walls, Surrounding the sim, the rest of the healing, and all young Lao men spend Wat Pak Khan restored divinity doorway projects in Laos over the past 11 years, flying kinaree, mythical part-bird compound contains four other at least a few months of their lives as in addition to more than 700 cultural part-human divinities, interspersed chapels and several stupas, as well as a novice monks in a wat. preservation projects in more than with small and large dharma wheels, drum chapel and monks’ quarters, Wat Pak Khan, dating from The sim has a two-tiered tiled roof, 100 countries, representing a fill almost every space in harmonious kutis. Some of the kutis were also approximately 1773, is noteworthy independent of each other, and newly contribution of nearly US$33 million patterns. Deities are surrounded by restored, with repairs carried out to because of its age and location. In painted white walls and four windows towards the preservation of heritage images of the Buddha in meditation the walls, some of which had to be particular, the attractively carved freshly painted red on either side with worldwide. These have included and small flying apsaras, female replaced, and roofs, and included the door panels and window shutters simply carved wooden eave brackets support for The Traditional Arts and celestial dancers, and divinities.