Wat Phu, Laos
Sacred Temple Complex of Khmer Kings
A view of Wat Phu's archaeology and a nearby mountaintop.
The Wat Phu Temple complex is contained within the Champasak cultural landscape, a remarkably well preserved planned landscape more than 1,000 years old. It was designed to express the Hindu vision of the relationship between nature and humanity, using an axis from mountaintop to river bank to lay out a geometric pattern of temples, shrines and waterworks extending over some 10 km.
Wat Phu Monumental Complex is one of the largest archaeological sites in Laos and was inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 2000, making it one of the only two sites with such status in the entire country. The foundation of the site is dated to the mid-5th century AD when the Chenla kingdom (5th-7th c. AD), started its expansion towards northern Cambodia. The monument, dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva, is one of the most important examples of Khmer architecture because of its plan, its historic and religious significance and for the value of its sculptures.
