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Attractions in Luang Prabang
The National Museum
Until the communist takeover in 1975 this building directly opposite
the town rock was the king's palace. The building itself
is not very old. Its construction, consuming 20 years, was begun
only in 1904. But it contains spectacular objects of art.
However, the museum's most important piece of art can only be
admired as a copy: a small Buddha statue by the name Pra Bang.
The name of the town derives from the name of that statue: Luang
stands short for Nakhon Luang = capital, Pra = holy.
Luang Prabang may well be translated as Capital of Holy
Bang.
The original statue is from 80 % gold. It is 83 centimetres high
and weighs 50 kilograms. Allegedly, it was made in Ceylon in
the first century of Christian reckoning. In the 11th century
it was kept in Angkor until it was brought to Luang Prabang by
the Laotian King Fa Ngoum, after he had married a Khmer
princess. When King Setthathirat made Vientiane the capital of
Laos, he took the statue there. In 1779 it was robbed by the Siamese,
but was returned in 1839. The statue is the most important holy
object of Laotian Buddhism.
For security reasons the original statue is said to be kept in
a bank safe.
Other attractions in Luang Prabang:
This page: http://www.cockatoo.com/english/laos/laos_luang_attractions.htm
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