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PLAIN OF
JARS
Plain of Jars (Phonsavanh) The Mysterious Plain of Jars
is situated about 12 kilometers from Ban
Phonsavanh, the capital of the province.
There are over 300 giant stone jars
scattered across the misty plateau. The Jars
vary in size from 1 to 3 meters height and
up to 2.7 meters in diameters with the
heaviest jar weighing 6 tons. An air of
mystery hangs over the Plain of Jars. Local
folklore says that, in the 6th century, the
warrior king, Khun Jeuam, brought his army
from Southern China and defeated the evil
chieftain, Chao Angka. The mighty battle was
followed by a mighty feast, at which
hundreds of gigantic jars of lao-lao rice
wine were consumed. Khun Jeuam was,
apparently, as bad at tidying up as he was
good at throwing parties, for he left behind
all of the empty jars, of which nearly three
hundred remain, scattered around the flat
plains near Phonsavan, including his own
six-ton"victory cup". |
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PHIAVAT
TEMPLE
Piavat Temple (Moungkoun) The original capital city, Muong
Khoun, was almost totally obliterated by US
bombing and consequently, the capital was
moved to nearby Phonsavanh. Of several Muong
Khoun Buddhist temples built between the
16th and 19th century, only ruins remain.
Vat Pia Vat, however, survived the bombing
and can be visited. |
