It was a sleepy afternoon at the cafe and while I was browsing through the book shelves, I found a book titled, “ The Brief History of Wat Ong Teu”. I paused for a moment and recalled that I visited this compound just about last week.

The temple itself was quiet, serene and marvelous where you can spot monks inside the temple. There is no entrance fee but there could have been, I just didn’t spot anybody and went into the Mahavihara (the main temple) where I spotted some monks and a few locals praying.

As I am thrilled to have found a book that provides me with the history of the temple, I am going to share it with you and why Wat Ong Teu, located in downtown Vientiane can be a spot where you can visit and even pray in the Mahavihara.

In Vientiane, it is hard to miss this temple as you can see this complex on the way to the Mekong River. There is also a sign about the opening time that you can see on your way inside the temple.

According to that book itself, the name itself is because of the Ong Tue Buddha that exists in the temple. However, it was not its original name as the original name is Wat Siphoum. The temple is founded by Chantahbury Prasitthisak during 200 BE. and was restored by King Sayasettharhiraj in 1566. If you check this place on google map, there are also a few temples around and as the book mentioned, as Vientiane grows, they are now separated by roads and locals houses.

One of the things that I find common in Thailand and Laos is that temple is also often referred to by the Buddha image that exists inside the temple, or known as Wat.

For example, in this Wat, there is the image of Ong Teu Buddha hence why, it is called Wat Ongteu.

There is also a history behind the buddha image was constructed. Based on the book, the story is basically based on oral telling and even the english version of it, according to the author of the book is found in Burma Myammar and not in Laos.

In order to also understand how this buddha image was constructed one must understand the royals of ancient Thailand and Laos in which it is actually a little bit complicated and as a foreigner like myself, it may take me quite a few years to understand it all.

So, this is only my short understanding from puzzles that I get through my wandering here. This also serves as a note for myself that the ancient Siam, Laos, and Indochina are worth to be learned, explored, and appreciated.

A Short History of Ong Teu Buddha Image

From the book, it is mentioned that The Buddha image itself was first initiated by Xayasettha or also known as Setthathirath, whose statue can be found in pha that luang. . He wanted to create the biggest buddha image in Vientiane back in 1566 as a way to show his devotion to buddhism. However, in the process of creating it, The king received a threatening letter from the Burmese. Even so, he continued with the moulding buddha image ceremony. Yet still eventually, The king answered the threatening letter and went to Burmese but once they were there, he found the burmese army were sleeping soundly and decided not to kill them in their sleep. In the morning, everyone was surprised and joyfully mentioned that basically if he was a regular king, everyone would be dead by then but the king upheld his teachings and chose to negotiate that instead of a war, why not be friends?

Luckily despite various wars and conflicts, this historical buddha image stays in Laos despite many others having been taken away and burnt as result of the conflicts.

One of the things about understanding the history behind an architecture or even a place is that you gain more appreciation of it. These places aren’t just places that were built but they survived through wars, conflict, flames and development of time. Even during modernity, these places survived though as I mentioned before, this complex became a lot smaller and separated by the other smaller wats.

The Ornament and Interior of Wats

When I was there, I saw beautiful murals in the monk compounds and also the ornaments that are surrounding the temple.

There is definitely a different atmosphere when visiting the temple as it was not touristy at all. And what strikes me the most is the exquisite ornaments.

In many of Wat in Laos you can see a dragon-serpent or known as Naga. Apparently, this Naga is a form of protectorthat is on display around Wats. These types of “Makara” exist in many temples around Asia only in different forms. There is also dwarapala that is more common to find in Indonesia though, They also exist in Thailand but only for their ancient ayutthaya temple. So next time you visit any temple, wat, or candi, you know what are those and you can tell it to others 😀

It’s funny to say that in my wandering here, I have not been visiting the temples of Ayutthaya or even the historical town of Luang Prabang. I am sure that they have more fascinating things to see but I am slowly getting there. If it took me years in my own country to finally explore all temples in Java, where it is all mostly concentrated.

It might as well take me a few years exploring this unknown and unfamiliar territory to me. There are some temples in Indochina that bear resemblance to Indonesian temples and many mythology, folklores that I have only discovered one by one at a slower pace. Afterall, I am just an enthusiast who loves exploring ancient civilization and its wonders at my own pace while sharing the knowledge I have found along the way.

It’s nice that in this temple, they also provide a sign that you must dress modestly. So remember everyone! Dress modestly when visiting these temples 🙂 as I find that sometimes people still inappropriately dressing and behaving in sacred places.

_{Some edits are made to fix spelling and incomplete sentences that should have been there. I guess I need more coffee but I was just too excited to share this :D}

Reference : A brief history of Wat Ongtue Mahavihara by Most Ven.DR. Pharamaha Phong Sameleuk 2015.

If you want to check out another stories of this journey, check out these timeless architecture stories below:

• Timeless Architecture : 9th Century Temple Candi Mendut

Many would miss out and even ignore the existence of this small buddhist temple called Mendut that was built around 8 to 9th century. But, they are missing out on a piece of interesting historical building and also cheap fresh coconut in front of the temple.

• Timeless Architecture : 8th Century Majestic World's Largest Buddhist Temple In the World Borobudur

Surrounded by Menoreh Hills, lies a majestic religious building that also serves as a canvas to retell the glory of ancient Javanese civilization during the 8th to 9th century. Built thoughtfully carrying buddhist symbolism, Borobudur temple also represents many layers of buddhist theory.

• Would you pay to see the sunrise? A Little Hike to Punthuk Setumbu

If you draw a line between this hill and the temple, this spot is where you can draw a straight line between the three temples (borobudur, mendut,and pawon ) that is considered as a pathway to nirvana.