The sacred Pak Ou Caves of Laos

[reader]

From MSN

At least once in their lives, devout Buddhists in Laos strive to visit a very special temple inside a natural landmark, the Pak Ou Caves, directly on the mighty Mekong River, the lifeline of Southeast Asia.

According to estimates, there are as many as 6,000 Buddha statues of various sizes and materials like wood and bronze in two limestone caves, put there by pilgrims over the centuries.

Buddha is depicted with various hand gestures - called mudras - each of which has a specific meaning.

"It is estimated that there are around 4,000 sculptures in the lower cave and around 2,000 in the upper one," says tour guide Somjai Simoonthong, who regularly brings tourists from all over the world here.

The cave temples can only be reached by boat along the Mekong. The journey from the popular tourist destination of Luang Prabang - the former capital of the Southeast Asian country - involves a boat trip of about two hours.

Inside the caves, a Laotian who lives in the US state of Colorado sprinkles a group of Buddha statues with water - as a sign of purification and respect. "I've wanted to travel here for so long, it's very important to me as a Laotian," he says.

Most people in the country believe that their ancestors entered the caves for the first time in the 8th century. At that time, Buddhism was not yet widespread, so the Pak Ou Caves were initially used as a shrine for the river spirits.

Continues with photos

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/travel/tripideas/the-sacred-pak-ou-caves-of-laos-home-to-some-6000-buddha-statues/ar-AA1nYfmm

[vinapu]

Definitely worth visiting and easy to arrange in Luang Prabang. There are also packages including elephant sanctuary, Lao whisky producing village and Kuang Si waterfalls, worthy destination on it's own.

[fedssocr]

when I went my guide brought along a giant package of candles to light the place up by candle light. Made for some great photos

[Marc in Calif]

3 hours ago, vinapu said:

There are also packages including elephant sanctuary, Lao whisky producing village and Kuang Si waterfalls, worthy destination on it's own.

Can you please tell us how much time you spent in the whisky village?   Did you leave the tour to stay there a few hours? ☺️🥛🥛🥛☺️

[vinapu]

6 hours ago, Marc in Calif said:

Can you please tell us how much time you spent in the whisky village?   Did you leave the tour to stay there a few hours? ☺️🥛🥛🥛☺️

program allowed 30 minutes and that was sufficient.

[Moses]

Siamroads provides tours to this cave and around Luang Prabang.

https://siamroads.com/good-tour-guide-luang-prabang/