Wat Ong Teu

LAOS, Vientiane

Wat Ong Teu means the Temple of the Heavy Buddha. It is so named because it houses a famous bronze Buddha statue weighing 10 t. The temple was built in the 16th century by King Setthathirath (reigned 1547–1571) of Lan Xang. During the Siamese invasion in 1828, the temple was completely destroyed except for the statue. It was left deserted until its reconstruction in 1911. The temple now serves as the residence of the Patriarch of Lao Buddhism, as well as a national center for Buddhist studies.
The ordination hall is the main building of the temple. The single-story hall has a gable roof with three overlapping sections and double-tier eaves. The ridge and roof edges are decorated with nagas and garudas. At the center of the roof ridge is an intricate structure possibly representing a multi-story stupa. There is a large portico at the front of the hall. The elaborately carved reliefs on the pediment are famous masterpieces of the art of woodcarving in Laos. There are delicate twin arches between the two large supporting pillars with smaller twin arches on either side. On either side of the entrance are undecorated posts in the form of pagodas, with similar structures at the corners. These plain posts are in strong contrast with the rest of the highly decorated facade. The renowned bronze Buddha statue, Phra Ong Teu, and two other standing Buddha images are enshrined inside the hall.