< Back to Thumbnails

Back to Laos choices

Next Photo >

Haw Pha Kaew

This temple was originally built in 1565 to hold the "Emerald Buddha" (Pha Kaew in Lao) taken from Lanna. The Thais took the image back in 1779 and it has stayed since then in Bangkok. The temple was destroyed by the Thais in the 1828 war, but rebuilt in 1936-1942. Now this is a museum, containing some of the best Buddhist sculpture in Laos.