The That Luang (Tat Lou-ang)

Laos has a national monument called the Pha That Luang (pronouncing 'Pha' like "pa" as in "park your car here" only stop before the 'r'; and 'That' more like "taut"; then 'Luang' as "loo-ang") which is printed on all the money and probably one of the most visited places in Laos (next to maybe Luang Phrabang). These monuments appear throughout Laos and are called stupas (pronounced "stoop-a" like poop-a).

Click on the picture to see a larger version.

This monument is not just a national symbol, but intertwined with the very religious nature of the country itself. The country is characterized by Theravada Buddhism with some local Lao twists (little animistic tendencies we call a 2nd tier folk religion... alongside the 1st tier of Buddhism, making up the layers of belief in people). The That Luang was built to contain the essence of the Buddhist spirit for the Lao people. According to tradition and some historical records, Buddhist missionaries brought a breastbone of Buddha to the place and built a stupa to contain the essence and spirit of Buddha. The original stupa was very small, less than 10 feet high. A king in the 18th century built it higher close to the size it is now using gold to overlay it. Over following years, the monument was ravaged by the Burmese, Siamese, and Chinese for any gold that the Lao had used to decorate it. After the Lao People's Democratic Republic was established, the people completed an earlier attempt by the French at restoring the monument.

All the dimensions and facets of the That Luang are symbolic in some respect. The height of 45 meters is representative of the lifespan of Buddha after he reached nirvana and was reborn. There are tiny Buddha images placed in small insets all around the second level signifying the presence of Buddha. The dragon is a symbol of the highest achievement within the hierarchy of this world - power, prestige, and achievement.

The monument is constructed with two levels, the second level is inaccessible because they are afraid that someone will try to steal whatever is inside. We walked around on the second level, about 10 feet off the ground.



The That Luang is located within near several Buddhist Monk monasteries. These were used as school to teach people from the local village as well as train the monks. They are not in use now, but look spectacular.

We went with a tour guide who spoke English fairly well, and I hope to post later some more of what we saw... but it was a stark reminder to me of the worldview that underlies the Lao life and culture. There are bridges between Truth and the culture, but it will be a lot of learning before I understand how to cross those bridges with Hope.

This is the entire set of pictures from the That Luang collection. Hope you enjoy them:

That Luang