Pak Ou Caves

Pak Ou Caves

Immovable Culture Heritage,Movable Cultural Heritage

At the junction of the Mekong and Ou rivers in Laos, near the World Heritage town of Luang Prabang, lie two cliff caves accessible by boat. Thousands of Buddha statues have been placed in these caves. For centuries, people from local towns deposited their old Buddha statues and other Buddhist relics here, making this place a very important religious site. During Laos’ New Year in April, locals visit these caves to wash in the river water and care for the statues. Most of the statues are wooden, resin, or animal bones decorated in reds, blues, and golds. This is a unique religious site as these are images of the Buddha that were once used but now have been discarded. Still, even in their final place, they create an air of worship and spirituality. The lower cave, Tham Ting, is also a place for burning offerings. The bigger and deeper upper cave, Tham Theung, is accessible from several steps along the cliffside.

isfiveoneonezero,worldheritagelayer

SharonPisani

Site

287

16/05/2021

05/16/2021 09:46:47 pm

cm x cm x cm

current,20.049400442002124,102.21049904823303;

Pak Ou Caves

TEXT

cave

378

sharonpisani1007@gmail.com