FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
nationthailand

New life for an ancient temple

New life for an ancient temple

Foreign aid spurs preservation efforts at Wat Phou Champasak in Laos

Regular vistors to Wat Phou Champasak over the past 15 years will have noticed changes in the stone structures, the result of renovations carried out in collaboration with foreign donors.
Laos’ second World Heritage site (after Luang Prabang), Wat Phou (Mountain Temple) in Champasak province has undergone regular restoration, rendering the ancient buildings closer in appearance to their original form.
Idyllically located on a hillside with fine views over the surrounding plains and the Mekong River, the Khmer temple ruins attracts hundreds of thousands of Lao and foreign visitors each year. Their numbers rose significantly after Unesco placed the site on its World Heritage list in 2001. Local authorities charged with its maintenance are working with international bodies to preserve the structures.
“The site has undergone proper maintenance thanks to the technical and financial support of several countries,” says Khampheng Sengmany, head of the Information, Culture and Tourism Office in Champasak.
India, South Korea, France and Italy are backing the four renovation projects currently underway, he says. “These countries provide us with great support. This is a very special gift for the local people, and the authorities intend to continue to preserve this ancient place for later generations.”
Staff training will soon begin to better equip employees for the preservation efforts, Khampheng says. Wat Phou boasts typical Hinduism-inspired Khmer architecture. There are pillars, lintels, pediments, terraces, walls, doorways, sanctuaries, shrines, a library and palaces in need of regular maintenance. 
Wat Phou is regarded as representing the height of civilisation during the medieval Cham Era and as a “divine residence”, a seat of Brahminism. Since the 11th century it has been a place of worship for Buddhists. 
The 10-square-kilometre area including Wat Phou is a planned and remarkably well-preserved landscape more than 1,000 years old. Its structures were arranged in a geometric pattern to express the Hindu vision of the relationship between nature and humanity, using an axis from mountaintop to riverbank. The area was developed from the fifth to the 15th century, mainly as part of the Khmer Empire.
Two cities on the north bank of the Mekong are part of the site, as is the hill called Phou Kao. The summit of Phou Kao is remarkable for its shape, sculpted with sheer cliffs. It was identified in bygone times with the linga representing the god Shiva, which gave it its original name, Lingaparvata – and an abiding reputation for sacredness. 
The local Khmer rulers probably chose the site for a sanctuary dedicated to Shiva in large part because of a permanent spring at the foot of the hill.
On the plain below are the remains of a city that – like Wat Phou itself – predate the establishment of Angkor in Cambodia. The large earthen enclosure walls and brick monuments are barely visible at ground level but quite clear in aerial photos.
The 15th anniversary of Wat Phou’s Unesco listing was duly commemorated at the annual Vat Phou Festival, which is ending today. Observed every February for hundreds of years, the festival includes making merit through offerings to monks and other traditional activities.
The festival – held on the full moon of the third month of the lunar calendar – also features elephant races, buffalo battles and cock fighting. Products from Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam are sold at a trade fair.
 
nationthailand