Phra That Khuang Santi Chedee Stupa.Phra That Khuang Santi Chedee Stupa is located on the mountain of Pa Phao at Vat Pa Phon Phao, and it is located between Luang Prabang town to Ban Phanom. Phra That Khuang means the stupa is round, and Santi Chedee means the stupa is peaceful. The stupa has five floors, the third floor has sky decks for seeing view of Luang Prabang, and it has four castles of Thao Chatulokabal (the Four Guardian Deities). There are mural paintings of the life pf Buddha, Buddhism and other stories of Laos when you who visiting inside this stupa and see these mural paintings you will understand more about Buddhism and how to behave in your livings because these mural paintings will make you to know and understand the circles of life living, if you do good kamma (good action) you will receive good result and you know where you will reborn after you die, if you do bad Kamma (bad action) you will receive bad result and you know where you will reborn after you die. This stupa was built on the 15th day of full moon of the 6th month of Buddhist calendar in B.E. 2518 (C.E. 1975) by Sathou Nyai Saysamout Chotiko, Abbot of Vat Pa Phon Phao, and he had invited the Sangharaj Dhammayana Mahathera (Bounthan Boupharat) of Vat Mai Suvannaphoumaram to lay manuscript stone to the stupa in the same year. When Laos was liberated and established to be "Lao People's Democratic Republic" in 1975, Sathou Nyai Saysamout was nominated to be in service in the Lao Buddhist Sangha in Vientiane, therefore he had stopped to built the stupa for a while, then he asked to stop in being service in Vientiane and came back to Luang Prabang to continue building the stupa, and it was completed in 1983 and had put the roof-ornaments of a pagoda to the stupa in the same year. In 1983, Sathou Nyai Khamchan Virachitta Mahathera, Abbot of Vat Saen Sukharam had been back from visiting his relatives in abroad and he had collected 6,500 USD and gold 2 bahts, he had donated to build four castles of Thao Chatulokabal (the four guardian deities) to each side of the stupa and had Buddhist ceremony of putting the chest bone of the Buddha to the stupa on the 14th day of waxing moon of Deuan Nyee (2nd month of Buddhist calendar) in B.E. 2528 (C.E. 1985), headed by Sathou Nyai Khamchan Virachitta Mahathera, Abbot of Vat Saen Sukharam. Sathou Nyai Saysamout Chotiko had intention to build this stupa to be the respected place of Buddhist monks, novices, nuns and lay people, and to be the place of practicing Parivassakam (ritual retreat of purification) and Vipassana (insight meditation) for Buddist monks, novices, nuns and lay people of Luang Prabang, and his dream had been come true until the present day.This photograph taken on 17th February, 1994.
Original material consists of: chromogenic print.
