My Weekly Powerup | #club100 | The Pha That Luang stupa - symbol of Buddhism, Laos | #steemexclusive / 11 photos

This beautiful golden stupa is regarded as one of the most important national monuments in Laos. It is just as important as a religious site. Pha That Luang stupa is located in the capital Vientiane. If you choose accomondation in the city centre, it’s only a short bicycle ride to get to here. It’s only a 4-5 kilometer in distance from the city centre, so it’s also possible to walk. It is believed that it was missionaries from India who brought a piece of breastbone from Lord Buddha to the place where the stupa is located. It is assumed that this happened in the third century BC.

Pha That Luang looks as if it’s made of gold, but it is actually only the pinnacle that is made from pure gold. The rest is painted in a golden color. The cloister that surrounds the stupa measures 85 meters. It has small windows and Buddha images. The stupa itself has a hight of 45 meters. On each side you will see many Lao og Khmer sculptures. Each floor has different features. The base is square and represents the material world. The second floor is surrounded by 120 lotus buds. The area offers several buildings and a large reclining Buddha.

Vientiane is the capital of Laos and has been so from the 1500s when the king at that time made this city his capital and decided to built Pha That Luang as a Buddhist temple. Over the centuries, the temple has been subject to looting several times by both Burmese, Chinese and Siamese. It was destroyed and rebuilt several times. The stupa we can see today was reconstructed by the French sometime during the 1930s. A beautiful, peaceful place worth a visit.