Wat Ong Tue Mahawihan

Wat Ong Tue Maha Viharn 🙏It is an ancient and very important temple in Vientiane, Lao PDR. It is located on the banks of the Mekong River in the old city area. It was originally called Wat Siphum or Wat Saiphum. Later, after King Saisetthathirat moved the capital from Luang Prabang to Vientiane, he ordered the construction of a temple to enshrine Phra Chao Ong Tue, a large Buddha statue cast in bronze. He ordered the casting of Phra Chao Ong Tue together with four other Buddha statues: Phra Ong Tue, Phra Suk, Phra Sai, and Phra Soem, so it is called "Wat Ong Tue" to this day. 🌿The characteristics of Phra Chao Ong Tue are: a rather large face, large eyes squinting down, a large nose, wide lips, and relatively large hands, which are considered unique to the Lan Xang art Buddha statue. His body is tall, similar to later Lan Xang Buddha statues. Phra Ong Tue was cast with a very heavy weight of gold (1 Tue = 1,000 kilograms). For this reason, this Buddha statue is called Phra Ong Tue. It is considered an important and sacred Buddha image of Laos. 📍 Vientiane, Lao PDR #Rainy season tourist destination