Vat Mai

Vat Mai Suwannaphumaham, most often just called "Vat Mai", is one of the largest and most ornate temples in Luang Prabang. Its history is tied to that of the Phra Bang and the Royal Palace.

The Pra Bang Buddha, which is now housed at the Royal Palace, used to be kept here, at Vat Mai, just down the road. Even though its name literally means "New Temple", Vat Mai dates back to the 18th century, and is one of the oldest temples in the city (one of the few that survived Chinese invasions in the 19th century).

The temple is beautiful and ornate, fit for royalty! One of the most impressive features is the five-tiered roof (the roofs of Buddhist temples traditionally have three tiers).

At either side of the temple is a veranda, supported by elegantly lacquered columns and boasting incredibly detailed golden reliefs.

The reliefs on the outer walls of the temple depict scenes from the Ramayana and from daily religious life in Laos.

When we visited, only a side door was open. Peeking in, we found a group of monks deep in prayer. Not wanting to disturb them (the front doors were surely closed for a reason!) we didn't actually get to look around inside the temple. From the side door, however, we could see the large golden Buddha statue, and a raised platform holding the temple's main image: a replica of the Emerald Buddha which is now kept at the Grand Palace in Bangkok.

Long ago, the Emerald Buddha belonged to Laos, and you can still visit the Emerald Buddha temple in Vientiane.