Laos seeks funds for national museum
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Renovations set to begin on centuries-old Hor Phra Keo, twice levelled by Siam
The restoration of Vientiane’s Hor Phra Keo temple museum kicks off this year, promising to breathe new life into the popular tourist site suffering from wear and tear in many sections.
Materials to replace broken and damaged parts, including walls, the roof and floor tiles, will cost seven billion to eight billion kip (Bt27 million to Bt32 million), says the national committee in charge. Once the budget is in place, the project is expected to last 12 months.
The committee will hold a ceremony in October to officially launch a drive to raise money both locally and overseas.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education and Sports Phankham Viphavanh, who is also in charge of social culture affairs, shared the details with senior officials last week.
Phankham asked officials to work together on the restoration, stressing that the committee and personnel at all levels should strive to complete the project in time to celebrate the museum’s 450th birthday.
Dr Phankham said the renovation is significant in Lao history because the museum has become a place to learn about the nation’s culture. “The renovation will mark the third major overhaul since it was built in 1565 by King Saysetthathirath.”
At the Hor Phra Keo Temple, visitors can see many stone tablets from antiquity and bronze Buddha statues. Inside the museum is an altar for the Emerald Buddha along with other Buddhist carvings and scriptures.
Each stairway has dragons running along them with their heads at the entrance, guarding the temple. Surrounding the museum is a stone and brick wall among beautifully manicured gardens, with places to sit in peace.
Ho Phra Keo is one of Vientiane’s oldest temples and the former chapel of the Lao monarchy, but, more importantly, it was built to house the Emerald Buddha. Invading Siamese soldiers wrecked the temple in 1779 and carried off the Emerald Buddha. The statue is now the revered centrepiece of Wat Phra Kaew in Bangkok.
The Siamese sacked and burned Vientiane a second time in 1826-29 and once again destroyed the temple. The temple has undergone two previous renovations, the first in 1816, during the reign of Chao Anouvong, and the second between 1936 and 1942.
After national liberation in 1975, the government placed Hor Phra Keo under the management of the Ministry of Education. The Ministry of Information and Culture took charge from 1983-87 and the temple was formally recognised as the national museum in 1987.
