TEMPLE ARCHITECTURE

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TEMPLE ARCHITECTURE

http://www.geocities.com/angmoh_2002/laos/laos-temple.html

Laos never really distinguished itself archtitecturally. Partially,

this is because many sructures were built of wood: fire, weather,

invasions, and B-52 saturation bombing have letf few wooden

structures in Laos that hail from the pre-eminent 16th to 18th

centuries.

 

The most emblematic edifice in Laos is the Pha That Luang (Great

Sacred Stupa) in Ventiane. A thaat (from the Pali-Sanskrit dhatu,

meaning element or component part- usually a sacred relic) is a spire

or dome-like structure that commemorates the life of the Buddha. The

distinctive shape may have been inspired by the staff and begging

bowl of the wandering Buddha, or may be related to pre-Buddhist

burial mounds. Many thaat are said to contain dhatu- parts of the

Buddha's body, for example, a hair, nail or piece of bone.

Considering the number of thaat throughout Buddhist Asia, it is very

unlikely that all those which claim to contain Buddha relics actually

do.

The curvilinear, four-cornered superstructure on the Pha That Luang

is the Lao standard- most stupas of truly Lao origin are modelled on

this one (Lao stupas can also been seen in northern Thailand which is

mostly populated by ethnic Lao). It's often said to symbolise an

unfurled lotus bud, representing the cooling effect of buddhism on

human passions. Other types of stupas in Laos are either Siamese or

Khmer inspired. An exception is That Makmo, or Watermelon Stupa, in

Luang Prabang, which is hemispherical in shape- of possible Sinhalese

influence, but still distinctive.

The uposatha (or in Lao sim), the building in which new monks are

ordained, is always the most important structure in any Theravada

Buddhist wat. In Laos, there are basically three architectural styles

for such buldings- the Ventiane, Luang Prabang and Xieng Khuang

styles. In Ventiane, sim are large rectangular buildings constructed

of brick and covered with stucco, much like their counterparts in

Thailand. The whole structure is mounted on a multilevel platform or

pediment.

 

The high-peaked roofs are layered to represent several levels(always

odd in number- three, five or seven, occasionally nine) corresponding

to various Buddhist doctrines which have been codified into groups of

these numbers (the three characteristics of existence, the seven

levels of enlightenment etc). The edges of the roofs almost always

feature a repeated flame motif, with long, finger-like hooks at the

corners called jao faa (sky lords). Legend has it that these hooks

are for catching evil spirits that descend on the sim from above.

Umbrella-like spires along the central roof-ridge of a sim, called

nyawt jao faa or 'topmost jao faa', sometimes bear small pavillons or

bagas (mythic water serpents) in a double-stepped arrangement meant

to be a representation of Mount Meru, the mythical center of the

Hindu-Buddhist cosmos.