Wat Aham temple description and photos - Laos: Luang Prabang (Topic)

Wat Aham temple description and photos - Laos: Luang Prabang. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The name in English is Wat Aham.

Photo and description

Wat Aham is a small temple consisting of a sim, that is, the temple itself, and two ancient stupas, which are religious structures built in memory of a person. In the design of the temple, you can see both Buddhist and pagan, animalistic symbols.

According to an urban legend, around the XIV century, on the site where the Wat Aham temple now stands, a sanctuary was built for Pu No and Na No - guardian spirits of Luang Prabang. Two centuries later, during the reign of King Fothisaratha, the temple was destroyed. The king was a pious Buddhist who dreamed of eradicating paganism in his country. Wat Aham was built on the site of the old temple. Soon after the destruction of the ancient sanctuary, misfortunes hit the city: people began to get sick, a drought set in, due to which a poor harvest was collected. Local residents were sure that this was how the guardian spirits of the city expressed their displeasure over the destroyed shrine. During the reign of the next king, the temple of Wat Aham was rebuilt, returning some animalistic statues to it.

When the sanctuary of the spirits was again destroyed in the 20th century, the spirits, as the inhabitants of Luang Prabang believe, moved into the large and very old banyan trees growing near the temple. Even today, Lao people bring offerings to these spirits during the New Year celebrations.

The current temple with a three-level roof, whose ends are decorated with images of naga snakes, was built in 1818. In front of it are statues depicting Hanuman and Ravana, characters in the Lao version of the Ramayana.

A picturesque garden with exotic plants is laid out near the temple. There is another temple next to Wat Aham - Wat Visunalat. The sanctuaries are connected by a passage with a large gate.

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Topic: Wat Aham temple description and photos - Laos: Luang Prabang.