The Pratuxai Victory Gate (pronounced, “prah-dtoo-sai”) is an attraction located at the heart of Laos’ capital, the city of Vientiane. Structures like the Pratuxai victory gate can be found in many other countries in both Europe and Asia, such as in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, India, and North Korea. The victory gates in each country reflect the architectural style of that country, and the same can be said of the Pratuxai monument in Laos. The design and motifs, though they may have been influenced architecturally by other countries, were also influenced by the Buddhist religion and Lao artwork unique to the country, making Pratuxai a prominent and important landmark to the country of Laos.

Plans for construction of Pratuxai began in 1957, and was originally planned as a monument to honor the war heroes who gave their lives for their country, and the designer, Tham Saiyasidsanao, got his inspiration from the Arc de Triomphe in Paris France. The building project began in 1959, but was put to a sudden halt in 1960 due to the coup d’etat of the same year. Construction resumed in 1962 and was completed in 1968.

Buddhism played a great part in influencing the design of the Pratuxai monument, as a large number of people in Laos are Buddhist. The Faculty of Architecture in Chulalonkorn University in Thailand published an article entitled, “The Architectural Elements of Pratuxai,” which said, “The designer researched the criterion for calculating the building size and came up with 3 numbers, 3-7-8. The number 3 represents the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha, the number 7 represents the infinite rotation of the seven days in a week, and the number 8 represents the eight directions and guardians facing the eight directions around the monument, radiating power in the eight directions. Moreover, the number 8 also refers to the eight precepts in Buddhism.” In addition to this, the top of the monument has five spires, representing the five precepts.

Pratuxai was also influenced architecturally by the Taj Mahal in India, in that the five spires resemble crowns, and the middle spire is taller and larger than the other four, with the remaining for being of equal size and height.

The motifs decorating Pratuxai were influenced by Laotian and ancient Lanxang art. For example, the lotus flowers, leaf-like boundary stones, and curved towers were borrowed from the architectural style of the famous That Luang monument, and similar arched doorways as seen in Pratuxai can be seen in the construction of many Laotian temples.

Today, Pratuxai is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Vientiane, and its fame has spread all over the world.

The post Pratuxai Victory Gate appeared first on Family Travel SouthEast Asia.

Besides the main structure, the temple has large stone steps leading up the mountain to other ancient ruins, including the stone sculptures of an elephant and an alligator. The stone alligator is particularly infamous, as it is rumored to be the site of annual human sacrifices, as mentioned in some Chinese texts from the 6th century. The fact that the shape of the alligator sculpture resembles the stretched out form of a human being further indicates the possibility of this.

Wat Phu is also rather impressive architecturally, with the corrior walls of the norther palace being laterite, and the southern palace being made of sandstone. As it is a Khmer style temple, the site is plentiful with scultpures and images depicting figures from the Hindu religion, inlcuding Krishna, Kaliya, Indra, Airavata, Vishnu and Garuda.

Today the site is open to the general public for religious activities as well as a tourist location from 8:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M., and the price of admittance is 50,000 Lao kip for tourists and 20,000 Lao kip for locals. The temple also has a museum nearby, where other ancient items, sculptures, and architectural pieces are kept on display, including statues of Shiva, Vishnu and Nandin, as well as some Buddhist statues.

The post Wat Phu Champasak appeared first on Family Travel SouthEast Asia.