Your base for this tourist attraction is the Unesco World Heritage town of Luang Prabang, Laos. For tourist information about Luang Prabang, go to Luang Prabang Travel Guide. To prepare for a trip to Laos, read also the Laos Travel Guide. Looking for budget accommodation there? Use AsiaExplorers Budget Accommodation Guide, the no-frills website to cover your budget accommodation needs.
Wat Nong Sikhounmuang Travel Information
Wat Nong Sikhounmuang is located on Kounxoa Road which runs parallel to the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers in Luang Prabang. I visited it while Luang Prabang with some members of AsiaExplorers to document the sights. Trying to photograph Wat Nong Sikhounmuang presented a challenge for me because the sim was facing northwest while the morning sun was shining from the east.
Wat Nong Sikhounmuang is one of the bigger temples in Luang Prabang. It was built in 1729, during the reign of King Inta Som (1727-76), but was razed in a fire in 1774. The only thing salvaged from the fire was a bronze statue. A full restoration was carried out in 1804 by the Thais, thereby introducing some Thai elements to the design.
The sim has a three-tier roof which are tiled orange, much like the temples in Bangkok. The roof ornamentation, called dok so faa, is in the form of parasols ascending to the top. The roof eaves are in the form of descending nagas.
Within Wat Nong Sikhounmuang is the bronze Buddha statue called Pra Chao Ong Saensaksid which survived the 1774 fire. This statue is said to have been brought here by a merchant from the village of Ban Koom Sayla north of Luang Prabang. The merchant had brought it from Chiang Saen in present-day Thailand, and had intended to bring it home, but changed his mind after his raft stopped somewhere near this spot in Luang Prabang.
If you're going to Luang Prabang, you'd be glad to know that the town is quite small. You can go to most places on foot if you want to. Otherwise, you can also catch a tuk tuk to take you around. As for accommodation, they range from very simple, basic beds to boutique hotels. You can visit the Luang Prabang Hotels guide for a list of budget accommodation.
Side view of the sim showing the dok so faa on the roof.
Monks' quarters at Wat Nong Sikhounmuang.
The triple-tier roof has a design of descending nagas.
A novice monk reading by the wall of Wat Nong Sikhounmuang.
5 Days 4 Nights Romantic Luang Prabang Tour
Explore Luang Prabang, Pak Ou, Kuang Si Waterfalls on this 5 day 4 nights tour, provided by Exotissimo Travel in conjunction with AsiaExplorers. Details here. (This tour is conducted only until September 2012).
