The second wat or temple I have visited in Vientiane is the Wat Ho Phra Keo or Haw Phra Kaew. I have seen quite a number of Buddhist wats during my visit in Bangkok and Ayutthaya in Thailand, and in Cambodia. By now, they tend to look the same to me- which I think is more due to the fact that I lack knowledge of Buddhism ,which make me miss the details.
But what is special about the Wat Ho Phra Keow is that it was built in the 1500s to be the temple for the Laotian royals and it also housed the Emerald Buddha. It is said that the Emerald Buddha was seized by the Thais when Siam raided Vientiane in 1700s. The Emerald Buddha is now displayed in the temple in the Grand Palace in Bangkok. Now, visitors of Thailand always include a visit to the Emerald Buddha in their itineraries. What a loss to Vientiane!
The Ho Phra Keo is a small wat with a small beautiful garden. The temple is adorned with bronze Buddha statues. The wood carvings are likewise impressive. The temple or the congregation hall is now a museum.
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| The congregation hall |
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| A lady getting ready to welcome the visitors |
Situated just across the Wat Sisaket and right beside the Palais Presidentiel, Wat Ho Phra Keo gets a lot of visitors. Among these visitors are several bus loads of monks which I chanced upon during my visit. It's interesting to see these men, wearing bright orange clad robes, all lined up to visit the temple. But what's more interesting is that most of them have their ipads with them, taking their selfies. Too bad I was not able to take a picture of their selfie moments because by then they were already giving me that warning look.
The Wat Ho Phra Keo is is open everyday, and admission fee is 5,000 kip. It is located along Setthathirath Road, beside the Palais Presidentiel and across the Wat Sisaket.
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