EAP177/6/1/50

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 between Luang Prabang town and 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 getting a view of Luang Prabang. It has four castles of Thao Chatulokabal (the Four Guardian Deities). There are mural paintings depicting the life of the Buddha, Buddhist legends and other stories of Laos. Visiting this stupa and seeing these mural paintings one will understand more about Buddhism and how to behave in one's life because they will let one know and understand the circles of life. If one does good kamma (good action) one will receive a good result and one will know where one will be reborn after death. If one does bad Kamma (bad action) one will receive a bad result. This stupa was built on the 15th day of the fullmoon of the 6th month of the Buddhist calendar in B.E. 2518 (C.E. 1975) by Sathou Nyai Saysamout Chotiko, Abbot of Vat Pa Phon Phao. He had invited the Sangharaj Dhammayana Mahathera (Bounthan Boupharat) of Vat Mai Suvannaphoumaram to lay a manuscript stone to the stupa in the same year. When Laos was liberated and established to be the "Lao People's Democratic Republic" in 1975, Sathou Nyai Saysamout was nominated to be in service in the Lao Buddhist Sangha in Vientiane. He, therefore, had to stop to built the stupa for a while. Then he asked to return to Luang Prabang to continue with the construction work of the stupa which was completed in 1983. He 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, returned from visiting his relatives abroad. He had collected 6,500 USD and gold 2 bahts, which he donated to having built four castles of Thao Chatulokabal (the four guardian deities) at each side of the stupa. He celebrated the Buddhist ceremony of putting the chest bone of the Buddha to the stupa on the 14th day of the waxing moon of Deuan Nyee (2nd month of the Buddhist calendar) in B.E. 2528 (C.E. 1985), headed by himself. Sathou Nyai Saysamout Chotiko had the intention to build this stupa to become the respected place for Buddhist monks, novices, nuns and lay people, and to become the place of practicing Parivassakam (ritual retreat of purification) and Vipassana (insight meditation) for Buddist monks, novices, nuns and lay people of Luang Prabang. His dream had become true up to the present day.

Original material consists of: chromogenic print