Travel to Laos: Naga Rockets and Wat Phabat Phonesane

Wat Phabat Phonesane is one of the most important temples and tourist sites in Bolikhamxai province. It is situated km 82 from Vientiane on the left hand side of road N.13 south.

Wat Naganimid phonesane was first build on the right hand side and 2 km from the national road to the Mekong river.

Wat Phabat Phonesane is the Lord of Buddha foot print temple and stupa. It is very beautiful place to visit and worship.

Wat Naganimid was build of the top of the hill and has 100 stairs and surrounded by the big trees which made the temple more attractive.

Wat phabat Phonesane and Wat Naganimid are not the same temples.

There is an old saying which say that Wat Phabat Phonesane place the Lord Buddha sit for lunch, when he arrived from Somphoutavib to teach the Buddha's word. When he looked for a place to sit for lunch, there were no places for him, because everywhere were his former graveyards. because of that, the king of the dragon named Soukahathinak collected the rocks and soils to from the hill for him to have lunch.

After lunch, before he said good bye, the two dragons named Soukahathinak and Sangkalanak requested him to print his foot print as the symbol of Buddhism in Kokchiviengngoua hill which was as far as the shout of an elephant from the place where he took lunch. The Lord Buddha printed his foot print on the rock as we have seen in Wat Phabat Phonesane.

The size of the foot print is 40 cm deep, 120 cm wide and 240 cm length. The nails of the foot are the same length. The images of the wheel, the lotus and one hundred and eight types of animals marked in the central of the foot. It was his right leg and facing to the Mekong river. After the image of the Buddha foot was printed the dragon arranged a religious ceremony then returned to their kingdom.

Since then, at the end of the Buddhist lent, the king of the Naga and his followers have organized rocket festivals to worship the foot print in an annual ceremony. That is because people see the man made rockets lights launched from the land and the river. it is called Bangfai PhaNhanak(The Naga rocket).

Wat means temple, Phabat means foot important person and Phonesane means the hill where Lord Buddha sit for lunch. Unknown another temple on the top of the hill which has 100 stairs called (The dragon conjured the temple) to the Mekong river and green big trees which made the site.

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