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Pak Ou Caves
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Pak Ou Caves
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Pak Ou Caves
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Pak Ou Caves
LAOS, Luang Prabang
The Pak Ou Caves are two natural limestone caves situated at the confluence of the Mekong River and Nam Ou River, 25 km from the city of Luang Prabang. According to local beliefs, these caves and the images contained in them were constructed by King Saysetthathirath (reigned 1547-1571) in 1547, although most of the extant images date to the 18th and 19th centuries. The caves are referred to as Phum (Upper) Cave and Ting (Lower) Cave. Phum Cave contains approximately 1,500 Buddha images, while Ting Cave houses approximately 2,500. Many of the gold Buddha images originally enshrined within the caves have since been removed. Of the remaining images, the majority are dated from the 18th to 19th century, and are made from wood, copper, or stone and range from 0.1 m to 1.5 m in height. |
