Haw Phra Kaew

ຫໍພະແກ້ວ

A royal temple built in 1565 to house the Emerald Buddha. After Siam carried the Buddha off, the temple became a museum of religious art, preserving fine Buddha statues and carved wooden doors.

Haw Phra Kaew was built in 1565 by King Setthathirath of the Lan Xang Kingdom to enshrine the Emerald Buddha (Phra Kaew), which had been brought from Chiang Mai. In 1779, Siamese forces captured Vientiane and took the Buddha to Bangkok, where it is now the statue housed in Wat Phra Kaew within the Grand Palace. In 1827 the temple was burned during the wars, and the present buildings were rebuilt during the French colonial period in 1936–1942. It is no longer a working temple but the National Museum of Religious Art. Around the raised base stand 16th- to 18th-century bronze Buddha statues, including the “Rain-Calling Buddha” and the “Demon-Subduing Buddha,” whose forms have a distinctly Lao character. Inside the hall are a Khmer stone stele, a wooden cabinet holding Buddhist scriptures, and finely carved wooden doors from the original temple gate. Admission is about 30,000 kip (confirm on site). Getting there: it is on Setthathirath Road in the old town, across the street from Wat Si Saket and a one-minute walk away. You can visit both in about 1.5 hours. Note: photography is not allowed inside the hall. Wear clothing that covers the knees, and remove your shoes before entering the hall.

Haw Phra Kaew

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