Wat Pa Khe, Luang Prabang

The sim of Wat Pa Khe.

Wat Pa Khe, also known as Wat Siphouttabath, is a small Laotian temple in Luang Prabang. It was built during the reign of King Chantarath (1851-72). The name Wat Pa Khe means Monastery of the Forest of Khe Trees. It is said that the monastery was built by the king in honour of a mission from Luang Prabang to Kunming, China, by a group of envoys. I visited it when I explored the sights in Luang Prabang to document them.

Wat Pa Khe is located at the foot of Mount Phousi. There are steps leading from Wat Pa Khe up the hill. The sim of Wat Pa Khe has a three-tier roof. The front side has four hexagonal columns which are today stencilled and inlaid with mosaics.

From Wat Pa Khe, a long flight of stairs flanked on both sides with undulating naga balustrades leads up Mount Phousi towards Wat Thummo Thayaram, the shrine with a massive footprint of the Buddha. From here, one can get fantastic view of the surrounding region.

Eave brackets carved in the form of nagas on Wat Pa Khe.

Wat Thummo Thayaram, shrine to the Buddha's footprint, is approached from Wat Pa Khe through a steep flight of stairs up Mount Phousi.

Shall shrine houses perch on ledges overlooking the Nam Khan river.

The massive Buddha's footprint.

Entrance to the shrine of the Buddha's footprint.

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