EAP177/8/1/406

Luang Phor Phra Sai Buddha statue, in the main hall of Vat Phoxay in Nongkhai Province -Thailand, in Sanamarn (battle over the devils) meditating posture. It was created by Sisouk Rober. According to history: " Three daughters of King Sayasethathirath had casted three Buddha statues and named the three Buddha statues after theirs. Phra Seum (the eldest sister), Phra Souk (the middle sister) and Phra Sai (the youngest sister) ". In former time, Luang Phor Phra Sai was kept in a temple in Vientiane during the reign of King Anouvong. Siam had attacked Vientiane and stole Phra Seum, Phra Souk and Phra Sai from Phou Khao Khouay and placed them on a bamboo raft and tied strongly to the raft then floated them along Nam Ngeum river. When it arrived at Ban Veun Than, it had a big storm coming but the bamboo raft continued to float until the end of Nam Ngeum to the Mekong. Then another big storm came again and made Phra Souk sank in to the river. After that happened, the sky cleared out like nothing has happened. Now the place where the Phra Souk had sunk, they called Veun Souk. It was only Phra Seum and Phra Sai that Siam brought to Nong Khai province. Phra Seum was kept in Vat Phoxay and Phra Sai is kept in Vat Hor Khong (called Vat Padith Thammakhoun). Then the King Rama IV of Siam wanted to take Phra Seum and Phra Sai to Bangkok and put them to a cart. When the cart arrived Vat Phoxay, Phra Sai showed supernatural power and made the cart heavier that they could not take it to Bangkok. Therefore, they kept Phra Sai in Vat Phoxay until right now. The Marvellous of Phra Sai they worshipped and called Luang Phor Khwien Hak (Broken cart). Phra Seum they took to Bangkok and keep it in Vat Pathomvanaram in Bangkok, Thailand until now. This photograph was taken in 1980.

Original material consists of: chromogenic print