Vientiane, Laos Pha ~ 1566 (reconstructed in 1930)
"The Great Stupa" or "Sacred Reliquary" is known as the most significant Laotian religious and national monument. It is located on a hill 3 miles northeast of the center of Vientiane. Legend says That Luang was founded in the third century bc by Asokan missionaries. The missionaries built the shrine to protect the breastbone of the Buddha.
"It has also been known that the earliest physical remains of a religious structure on this site, dates from Khmer monastery around the 12th century."
In the middle of the 16th century, King Setthathirat decided to move the capital from Luang Prabang to Vientiane. The construction of That Luang began in 1566. It was covered in gold leaf, but unfortunately robbed by the Burmese, Siamese, and Chinese. The invasion of 1828, involved the Siamese destroying the capital, which led to the abandonment of That Luang.
"The Great Stupa" or "Sacred Reliquary" is known as the most significant Laotian religious and national monument. It is located on a hill 3 miles northeast of the center of Vientiane. Legend says That Luang was founded in the third century bc by Asokan missionaries. The missionaries built the shrine to protect the breastbone of the Buddha.
"It has also been known that the earliest physical remains of a religious structure on this site, dates from Khmer monastery around the 12th century."
In the middle of the 16th century, King Setthathirat decided to move the capital from Luang Prabang to Vientiane. The construction of That Luang began in 1566. It was covered in gold leaf, but unfortunately robbed by the Burmese, Siamese, and Chinese. The invasion of 1828, involved the Siamese destroying the capital, which led to the abandonment of That Luang.
