Description of the attraction
Wat Nong Sikhounmuang is located opposite the Elephant Restaurant, on Kunksoa Road, which runs parallel to the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers in Luang Prabang.
Wat Nong Sikhounmuang is one of the largest temples in the city. It was built in 1729 during the reign of King Inta Soma (1727-1776), but was damaged in a fire in 1774. The believers managed to save only one local relic from the fire - a bronze statue of Buddha.
The restoration of the temple took place in 1804. The work on the reconstruction of the shrine was carried out by the Thais, who did not hesitate to diversify the appearance of the Lao temple with architectural and decorative elements traditional for the sacred structures of Thailand. For example, Wat Nong Sikhounmuang received a three-tiered orange-colored roof that resembles the roofs of temples in Bangkok. The eaves were in the form of kites. Above the roof, there is a decorative detail "dock so faa", which consists of several stupas under sacred umbrellas. The veranda facades are decorated with murals in red and yellow.
The pearl of the interior of Wat Nong Sikhounmuang is the bronze statue of Buddha Phra Chao Ong Saensaxid, which survived a fire in 1774. She is said to have been brought to Luang Prabang by a merchant from Ban Kum Saila village, north of the city. Actually, the merchant was taking a Buddha figure to Thailand, but changed his mind when his raft ran aground near the site where the present Wat Nong Sikhounmuang temple in Luang Prabang was built in the future. So the Buddha statue remained in the ancient capital of Laos.
