Luang Prabang
Luang Prabang, or
Louangphrabang, is a city in
Laos; it was formerly the capital of a kingdom of the same name. The city of Luang Prabang is located in north central Laos, on the
Mekong River about 425 km north of
Vientiane. It has a population of about 22,000
Until the communist takeover in
1975, it was the royal capital, the seat of the
kingdom of Laos. Today it is a
UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city is the capital of the
Louangphabang Province.
Muang Sua was the old name of
Luang Prabang following its conquest in
698 A.D. by a
Tai prince,
Khun Lo, who seized his opportunity when
Nan-chao was engaged elsewhere. Khun Lo had been awarded the town by his father,
Khun Borom, who is associated with the Lao legend of the creation of the world, which the Lao share with the
Shan and other peoples of the region. Khun Lo established a dynasty whose fifteen rulers reigned over an independent Muang Sua for the better part of a century.
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The former royal palace in Luang Prabang, now a museum |
In the second half of the
8th century, Nan-chao intervened frequently in the affairs of the principalities of the middle Mekong Valley, resulting in the occupation of Muang Sua in
709. Nan-chao princes or administrators replaced the aristocracy of Tai overlords. Dates of the occupation are not known, but it probably ended well before the northward expansion of the
Khmer empire under
Indravarman I (r. 877-89) and extended as far as the territories of
Sipsong Panna on the upper
Mekong.
In the meantime, the Khmers founded an outpost at
Xay Fong near
Vientiane, and
Champa expanded again in southern Laos, maintaining its presence on the banks of the Mekong until
1070.
Chanthaphanit, the local ruler of Xay Fong, moved north to Muang Sua and was accepted peacefully as ruler after the departure of the Nan-chao administrators. Chanthaphanit and his son had long reigns, during which the town became known by the
Tai name
Xieng Dong Xieng Thong. The dynasty eventually became involved in the squabbles of a number of principalities.
Khun Chuang, a warlike ruler who may have been a
Kammu (alternate spellings include Khamu and Khmu) tribesman, extended his territory as a result of the warring of these principalities and probably ruled from
1128 to
1169. Under Khun Chuang, a single family ruled over a far-flung territory and reinstituted the
Siamese administrative system of the
7th century. At some point,
Theravada Buddhism was subsumed by
Mahayana Buddhism.
Xieng Dong Xieng Thong experienced a brief period of Khmer
suzerainty under
Jayavarman VII from
1185 to
1191. By
1180 the Sipsong Panna had regained their independence from the Khmers, however, and in
1238 an internal uprising in the Khmer outpost of
Sukhodaya expelled the Khmer overlords.
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Luang Prabang night market |
Xieng Dong Xieng Thong in
1353 became the capital of
Lan Xang. The capital was moved in
1560 by King
Setthathirath I to
Vien Chang, which remains the capital today.
In
1707, Lan Xang fell apart and Luang Prabang became the capital of the independent Luang Prabang kingdom. When
France annexed Laos, the French recognized Luang Prabang as the royal residence of Laos. Eventually, the ruler of Luang Prabang bacame synonymous with the
figurehead of the French Protectorate of Laos. When Laos achieved independence, the king of Luang Prabang,
Sisavang Vong, became the
head of state for the
Kingdom of Laos.
*
Khun Lo, warlord who founded the city
*
Fa Ngum, prince of Luang Prabang who founded
Lan Xang*
Oun Kham, king who ruled under the French
*
Kham Souk (Zakarine), king who ruled under the French and who pushed for independence
*
Sisavang Vong, king under the French, and when France granted Laos independence, he became king of the whole country
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Luangphabang seen from right bank of Mekong (montage) |
*
Kuang Si Falls*
Phu Si*
Royal Palace Museum (
Haw Kham)
*
Wat Aham*
Wat Mai Suwannaphumaham*
Wat Manorom*
Wat That Luang*
Wat Wisunarat*
Wat Xieng Muan*
Wat Xieng ThongLuang Prabang is served by
Luang Prabang International Airport with non-stop flights to
*Laos:
Phongsaly,
Vientiane,
Xieng Khuang*
Thailand:
Bangkok,
Chiang Mai*
Cambodia:
Siem Reap Luang Prabang is linked by road to:
* Route 13:
Vang Vieng and
Vientiane* Route 1:
Muang XayThe Mekong is an important transportation link.
Huay Xai, upriver near the Thai border, can be reached by slow boat in two days, typically with a stop at
Pak Beng.
The late folk singer
Dave Van Ronk named his infamous and sardonic anti-war song
Luang Prabang.[
1]
China has recently allowed its citizens to travel more freely to Laos. As such, Chinese tourists are expected to account for 25% of the total number of visitors to Laos (up from only a few percent) in 2006. Pressures to modernize tourist infrastructure, particularly to cater to package tourism, are expected to significantly impact Luang Prabang and other culturally significant Laotian cities and sites. [
2]
*
Phra Bang*
Xieng Keo*
Pak Ou Caves*
Emerald Buddha* http://whc.unesco.org/pg.cfm?cid=31&id_site=479
