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The shrine may be planned by the French colonial government to mark the city centre of Pakse. It is located just beside the Wat Luang that is seen behind the shrine.
Several ethnic groups have been involved in forming the present-day Champasak Province.
Cham is an Austro"ne"sian ethnic group that had their territory in present-day southern Vietnam, which was called Champa. The name of Champasak is supposed to have derived from their presence on the Mekong riverside.
Champa had been a long-time enemy of the Austro"a"sian Angkorian Kingdom of Khmers. By the 10th century, Champasak had been absorbed into the Angkorian territory.
Angkorian Kingdom started to decline in the 15th century, and Champasak was eventually annexed into Lang Xang, a Lao kingdom established in 1353.
Champasak became one of the three Lao kingdoms that were formed in 1707 by dividing Lang Xang. It was annexed by Siam to become its vassal kingdom in 1778.
Both Lao and Siam are Tai-Kadai ethnic groups migrated from southern China. I suppose both learned Theravada Buddhism and the religious architecture from Khmers. The shrine in the photo is an example.
A photo taken in another Theravada Buddhist temple in Pakse.
Wat Phabat is older and has a larger temple precinct than Wat Luang in the city centre. Some parts of the precinct was a bit dilapidated but a woodland with many uniquely designed stupas had its own charm.
The first stupa was an earth mound built on the ashes of Gautama Siddhartha, the Buddha. Emperor Ashok excavated and distributed them all over his huge territory by constructing stupas. The stupas were excavated by someone else and the ashes were further divided into pieces for redistribution.
Stupas are often attached to Buddhist temples, and the temples claim their stupas contain a relic of Buddha, at least, officially.
Hindus and some Buddhists, notably Thais, do not build graves since the deceased are believed to reincarnate; there is no need for them to keep the corpse.
But here in Laos and other countries in Southeast Asia, stupas are donated to Buddhist temples for a merit-making of the supporters, but they seem to function actually as the graves of the supporters' family members. Some stupas in Wat Phabat even had photographs of the deceased.
Their passion to construct stupas may have something to do with the pre-Buddhism tradition of ancestral worship.
The building in the city centre used by the Pakse Chinese Association is a typical French colonial architecture.
The board above the entrance reads "Happy New Year."
Chinese migration into Laos started in the 19th century and is still ongoing. They mostly came from southern Chinese provinces of Yunnan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Sichuan, and Guizhou. They "dominates the Laotian economy today" according to the English version of Wikipedia.
They out-migrated in a large number when Pathet Lao assisted by North Vietnam and Soviet Union took over Laos in 1975 just after the end of Vietnam War. Their number is supposed to have rebounded as the economic tie with China has been strengthened under the Belt and Road initiative.
www.gdecooman.fr - Photographe à Lille - portfolio, stages photo, mariages, naissance / bébé, évènements
www.gdecooman.fr - Photographe à Lille - portfolio, stages photo, mariages, naissance / bébé, évènements
www.gdecooman.fr - Photographe à Lille - portfolio, stages photo, mariages, naissance / bébé, évènements
www.gdecooman.fr - Photographe à Lille - portfolio, stages photo, mariages, naissance / bébé, évènements