The Wat Sisaket Temple - Laos
The Wat Sisaket Temple was built between 1819 and 1824 by King Anou.
Just across the street from the Presidential Palace is Vientiane's oldest surviving monastery, Wat Sisaket. The temple was built between 1819 and 1824 by King Anou. According to tradition, this was where the Lao lords and nobles came to swear allegiance to the King. When the Siamese sacked Vientiane in 1828, they spared this temple, perhaps because it is built in a style similar to Thai temples. The French restored the temple in 1924, and again around 1930.
At the center of the cloister is the ordination hall (sim). An outer gallery is lined with inward leaning 12-cornered columns, topped by elaborately carved wooden brackets and fretwork. Inside the hall, the walls are painted at eye level with scenes from the jataka, a series of stories about the past lives of the Buddha. The life illustrated is an unusual choice. It is the story of Prince Pookkharabat, who appointed an "honest thief" as chief minister and defeated enemy armies with the assistance of a magic fan. The murals are badly deteriorating. Above the murals are more small niches holding Buddha images.
West of the cloister, straddling the outer wall of the temple, is the former library where the palm leaf manuscripts documenting Buddhist philosophy were once held. The square building houses a massive cabinet that once held the books. Although now faded, the cabinet was once finished in black lacquer with delicate golden designs. Behind the library, between the wall of the cloister and the outer wall of the temple, is a dirt path lined with small stupa containing the ashes of cremated temple devotees.
Although it is ostensibly a museum, Wat Sisaket is still a working monastery, with several monks and novices in residence. Some of the buildings were undergoing renovations, which should be completed by May 2010.
Wat Sisaket Admission Fees
The cloister is open from 8:00am to noon and 1:00pm to 4:00pm. Admission is 10,000 Kip (1.20 USD).
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