Architecture in Laos

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Contents

Abstract 1

Introduction 1

Architecture in Laos 2

Role and Contribution   4

Influence Culturel 5

Conclusion 6

References 6

 

Abstract

In many aspects, human gradually evaluated time to time as well as he introduce history of world. Respectfully, each country has different human civilization background but of course, the world has multicultural in every single society that we have.  People are Innovating themselves under the modern technology development in many ways. However, on the other hand, the men maintain history and arts as a human dignity nowadays. Therefore, Laos is one the Asean Country, who preserves arts and architectures time to time in their traditional ways that we are learning today. 

 Architecture in Laos 

Introduction

Every country and nation has their own history background. People observed their own ideology development to create something as representative of their communities since ancient time. So, Laos is one of the South Asia Nation who developed their art and architecture as a nation dignity until present day.  There are  unforgettable for to maintain historical preservation in Laos. I,as same of South Asia Nation (Asean), I do pound of Laos people . Therefore, may I explain about Laos’s architecture? Laos architecture has a long and glorious development history with strong attachment to Buddhism and animism. Through many ups and downs, many of the past constructions have been destroyed but what remain now still constitute a rich and unique heritage among Asian countries. Overall, I will give more detail explanation about architecture of Laos as i have learnt. 

Architecture in Laos

Victory Gate is situated within quite extensive flower gardens (and has lots of fountains) and was completed in 1969 in memory of the Lao who died in pre-revolutionary wars. The area is very popular with Vientiane families who are out for a stroll and get-together especially on weekends. Cloisters measure 85 metres on each side and it is a symbol of Buddhist religion and Lao sovereignty.

The Lucky Temple, Southeast on Setthathiral Road this temple contains the city pillar which is called the Lak Muang. The temple is very busy and colourful - it has many Buddha images and is full of offerings of fruit, flowers and candles which are sold from stalls just outside the entrance gate. Some of the statues around the temple include large guardian giants.

The Royal Palace in Luang Prabang was built in 1904 during the French colonial era for King Sisavang Vong and his family. After the death of King Sisavang Vong, the crown Prince Savang Vatthana and his family were the last to occupy the grounds. In 1975, the monarchy was overthrown by communist government and the palace was then converted into national museum.

Wat Mai is a Buddhist temple or wat built in late 18 century in Luang Prabang. It is the largest and most richly decorated of the temples in town. Wat Mai is located near the Sisavangvong night market street and adjoining the compound of the Royal Palace.Wat Mai holds great significance in Laos culture for both religious and aesthetic reasons. The monastery served as a temple for the royal family and long has been the residence of the Pra Sangkharat, the highest Laotian Buddhist dignitary.

Wat Visoun or Wisunalat, built in 1513, is the oldest and perhaps the most beautiful temple of Luang Prabang. The temple strikes visitors with its huge stupa called That Makmo, which in on the temple compound. Because of its odd shape, this stupa is commonly known as the watermelon stupa instead of its official name That Pathum (Lotus Stupa). The stupa originally housed many ancient Buddha images, including the Luang Prabang sacred Emerald Buddha.

Wat Aham, the "Monastery of the blossomed Heart" exudes serenity. Wat Aham is no longer the center of religious activities of the city, yet it remains critically important to the heritage of Luang Prabang as it combines the worship of guardian spirits and Buddhist practices. The serenity of this temple has been disturbed several times in the past. This temple was indeed the ground of religious conflict between spirit guardian animist and Theravada Buddhism.

Wat Xieng thong is the largest and most splendid temple of Luang Prabang royal city. It was built on the Mekong River bank in 1560, under the reign of King Setthathirat (1548 - 1571). The temple is best known for its impressive mural Tree of Life describing Buddhist story.

Mount Phousi, Located at the heart of Luang Prabang, Mount Phousi is an extremely sacred place for Laotian people. On its summit sits a golden That Chomsi stupa which offers fabulous panorama of Luang Prabang city, its surrounding mountains and the Mekong River. Visitors must climb 355 steps to reach its peak (around 2 hour hike). Several temples are scattered on its slopes, interesting sites for some stops en route. The best time to visit it is in early morning or late afternoon for an incredible sunset. Also if you go late in the day, back down, you can wander through the aisles of the nearby ethnic market which takes place every night.

Vat Phou or Wat Phu is a ruined Khmer temple complex in southern Laos. It is located at the base of mount Phu Kao, some 6 km from the Mekong river in Champasak province. There was a temple on the site as early as the 5th century, but the surviving structures date from the 11th to 13th centuries.

Wat Visounnarath, this is the oldest surviving temple in Luang Prabang, originally erected in 1503 (some indicate 1513 or 1515) by King Photisarat  and rebuilt in 1898 following an 1887 fire set by Black Flag Haw raiders. The original wat was built out of wood and in the brick and stucco restoration the builders tried to make the balustraded windows of the sǐm appear to be fashioned of lathed wood (an old South Indian and Khmer contrivance that is uncommon in Lao architecture).

The Buddha Park, also known as Xieng Khuan or Spirit City, is a collage of concrete moulded statues of Buddhist and Hindu deities and other bizarre figures, 25k outside of Vientiane, Laos. It’s a large collection of all shapes and sizes, a theme park of religious imagery but one that includes rabbits, insects, skulls….and a giant pumpkin…along with hundreds of other curiosities. The Buddha Park was built in 1958 by a yogi priest shaman called Luang Pu Bunleua Sulilat who combined philosophy, mythology and iconography into a cryptic whole as Lonely Planet helpfully explains. We didn’t try to unravel the meaning (how long would that take?!); it was enough to just take in the visual spectacle.

Role and Contribution

The two most significant periods of Laotian architecture development are from 14th to 17th centuries and from early 18th to late 19th centuries. The first period marked the peak of Lao original architecture. One of the earliest was the sanctuary hastily erected in Viengkham in 1359 to house the sacred pha bang after it was deemed inauspicious to carry the image north to Xiang Dong Xiang Thong.

During this period wants were increasingly constructed in major centres of population, where they became a focal point for all aspects of daily life. At the same time their design and layout became progressively more elaborate, evolving into a series of buildings which would eventually include an ordination hall, a manuscript library, a bell tower, a drum tower), a stupa  and an area dedicated to the Buddhist sangha containing the monks’ living quarters . Though Lao wats evolved in the same basic way as those of their Siamese or Khmer neighbours, they were generally more modest in appearance and came to be characterized by the distinctive dok so fa (pointing to the sky) roof fixture and dok huang phueang ront entrance panel of the sim.

This style of architecture is commonly known today as Luang Prabang I style after Wat Wisun and other noteworthy surviving examples in that northern city (Wat May, Wat Pak Khan, Wat That Luang), but the design is by no means unique to Luang Prabang and may still be seen today in several other parts of the country.
The splendor of Laotian architecture in 17th century was described by the Italian Jesuit missionary Giovanni-Maria Leria, who came to visit the capital with its moated walls, palaces and temples.

Influences Cultural

Early Lao architecture is not original, but rather was built by the region's and people foreign rulers. These influences came from Thailand and the city of Chiang Mai, from Cambodia in the Khmer Dynasty, and domestically from the Vientiane Dynasty, however this dynasty was related to and influenced by the Ayutthaya.

Despite these outside influences, little remains from early Lao architecture (both local and foreign influenced) since they build almost exclusively with wood and other materials that are highly susceptible to nature. Of the early monuments that do exist, most are made of brick, including the Buddhist stupa, That Luang (1586) in the capital of Vientiane. This and other buildings from the 1500s and 1600s are primarily Buddhist temples or monuments. Most of these early structures follow Thai models that can be found in Chiang Mai and Bangkok.

Over time the city of Vientiane gained its own style, most notably in the form of houses. The capital today is covered with these houses, which generally include a veranda and terrace. More interesting though is the wood carving often found on the top of the verandas, which are quite symbolic of Lao culture and religion.Like the capital, the city of Luang Prabang developed its own style as well, which is similar to that of the capital, but the veranda roofs tend to dip lower. Their temples are also somewhat unique, although primarily in the northern Thai style, as they tend to be detailed in gold.

The final local style worthy of mention is the Xieng Khuang style, which was almost completely obliterated with the bombings of Laos's eastern regions during the Vietnam War. This style is almost wholly confined to temple art and a couple surviving pieces of this style can be found in the city of Luang Prabang today.

In the 1800s under the French and years later, modern building materials and techniques were brought to Laos. The people incorporated these techniques and materials into their new buildings and today the capital of Vientiane is home to a number of skyscrapers and modern buildings.Laotian or Laos architecture has a long and glorious development history with strong attachment to Buddhism and animism. Through many ups and downs, many of the past constructions have been destroyed but what remain now still constitute a rich and unique heritage among Asian countries.

Thereafter each successive reign was marked by a programme of pious temple-building. Little is known about temple architecture during the first century of Lane Xang, but surviving foundations from this period indicate that temples were still of very modest size in comparison with their later counterparts.

Conclusion

From my perspective, Architecture is so wonderful in Laos. The act of temples is very similar with Thai temples styles.  However, there is a very ancient temple named “Vat phone” which is most significant built by using amazing act inside the temple like Angkor Wat. On the other hand, the collections acts and preservation of building are very remarkable for Laos's people. Of course there are many landmarks in Laos to visit especially Buddhist architecture pleases.  Even thought, Laos is a small country, development architecture is very memorable since 14 to 17 centuries AD   until now. Therefore, Laos is one of the greatest Buddhist nations in South Asia.

References

1.    Rodolphe De Koninck, Atlas of Laos, Pacific Affairs Vol.75, No.1, Pacific Affairs, University of British Columbia, 2012

2.    Martin Stuart-Fox, History of Laos, Cambridge University Press, 1997

3.    A Laos Name in History, Ancestry.com, February 14, 2010.

4.    Safari The Globe, Laos’s History & Backgroud, http://www.safaritheglobe.com/history_laos.aspx, Viewed-8,20,2013

5.    Wikipedia-The Free Encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pha_That_Luang, Viewed-9,1,2913

6.    Visit Wonders, http://laosarchitecture.visitwonders.com/en/guide-detail/laos-architecture-3-54.html, Viewed-8,28,2013

7.    Royal Heritage Cruise, http://www.royalheritagecruise.com/laos/laos-facts/laos-architecture.html, Viewed, 20,8,2013

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