History of Wat Si Muang
The temple was constructed in 1563 under the mandate of King Setthathirat. This small wat was placed on the ruins of a Khmer Empire Hindu shrine. It was destroyed by Siamese invasion in 1828. However, it was restored twice in 1915 and 1956. According to the locals, at the time of construction, Si Muang, a pregnant woman sacrificed to calm down the angry spirits. She jumped into a hole in the ground where a central pillar of the temple would be built. Therefore, nowadays, Wat Si Muang is considered as the “mother temple” of the Lao capital.
Highlights of Wat Si Muang
The roof of main door is said to be the most impressive detail in Wat Si Muang.
Wat Si Muang is divided into 2 rooms. The first room is a place to meet monks who will bless and bring fortune to prayers. The wat is a busy temple with crowds of Buddhists beacuse of its “good luck” power. If your wish comes true, you should return with an offering of bananas, green coconuts, flowers, incense and candles. That is a reason why there are many vendors in the main courtyard of Wat Si Muang.
The second situated at the end of the temple has the pillar of the temple that serves as the altar. Most of things inside the temple is decorated with paintings, wood carvings and religious images whose main color is red and yellow.
Visitors can find remains of the Khmer shrine behind the wat. It only has a pile of bricks and few statues. There is a statue of King Sisavangvong in a small public park. The King’s one hand holds a book which is said to be the first legal code of Laos.
The temple Wat Si Muang is the main site for the celebration of the Boun That Luang festival, the largest and most important one in Laos. It is organized every year on the full moon of the 12th month of the Buddhist calendar, usually in October or November.
Opening Hours: 06:00 - 19:00 every day
