Showing posts with label Vat Phou. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vat Phou. Show all posts

Sunday, March 26, 2023

Uncertain future for Phou Ngoy Mekong Hydropower Project

As locals await relocation and environmentalists raise concerns over impacts on the Mekong’s ecology, the future of the planned Phou Ngoy dam (also called Lat Sua) looks uncertain, "The Third Pole" reports. The run-of-river-dam is planned on the Mekong River in Champasak Province in Laos, about 18 km downstream from Pakse. The project for producing 728 Megawatt of electricity has been developped by Charoen Energy and Water Asia Corporation of Thailand (CEWA) and the South Korean construction companies Doosan Heavy Industries and Construction and Korea Western Power. The dam structure would be 1,300 meters long and 27 meters high with a head of 10.6 meters.

Visualisation of the Phou Ngoy Hydropower Project by CEWA

How many villages along the Mekong are affected?
The US $2.4-billion dollar project would impact more than 200 hectares of land and 88 villages, 57 villages above the dam and 31 below. The most-affected village would be Ban Khonken fishing village, where 811 residents reside in 142 households. They have been told that they will have to relocate for the construction works.

Is there an impact on Vat Phou Unescco World Heritage site?
An official at the Lao Ministry of the Information, Culture and Tourism said according to rfa.org he was worried about the dam’s impact on Vat Phou, a Khmer Hindu temple complex about six kilometers (3.7 miles) from the Mekong River. “If the Lao government and the Phou Ngoy Dam developer really want to build this dam, they’ll have to do the Heritage Impact Assessment, similar to the one for the Luang Prabang Dam Project that has been submitted to UNESCO,” he said.

Is Phou Ngoy Hydropower project economically feasable?
There are doubts, as "The Third Pole" reported in Dezember. Yongpil Seo, country director of the Thai office of Doosan Enerbility, one of the Korean partners, said he thought it was “unlikely” the Korean partners would continue with the project, adding he believed CEWA is currently looking for lower-cost Chinese partners and is struggling to find investment. No power-purchase agreement (PPA) with the Thai state enterprise Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) seems in sight.


Monday, April 30, 2018

Champasak, Vat Phou and Lingaparvata

See the locations on Champasak and Vat Phou Google Map


Vat Phou and the holy mountain

Picture marhas
The museum of Vat Phou shows this picture by Pierre Pichard.

Vat Phou has been founded by the Cham, according to the historians and was later one of the first temples of the Khmers outside Cambodia. The oldest ruins date from the fifth and sixth century. Vat Phou nestles at the base of Mount Phou Pasak, that got the name Lingaparvata, because on top a 60 metres high monolith reaches into the sky. This natural outcropping has led the people to consider it a sacred place long ago. It resembles to linga of Shiva, the god of the Hindu. To some visitors it resembles also a female breast (see picture by Diane, taken on Don Daeng). "Parvata" means "mountain," so "Lingaparvata" is literally "Linga Mountain." It is the same word-root as "Parvati" the name of Shiva's consort, a mountain-goddess, notes art-and-archaeology.com. Willard Van De Bogart tells the story of Lingaparvata, the story was also published with a lot of book references. Read also the official site description by the Museum of Vat Phu.

See a Wat Phu site map by globelheritagefund.org

Picture marhas First yuu see one of the barays - a Khmer word for a lake. The barays symbolize the ozeans around the holy mountain Meru.

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The first terrace of the temple complex

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The way for the processions towards Vat Phou with Lingaparvata (right).


Picture Alex Bunjes


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Ho Thao, the palace on the south side of the procession way, a room for men.


Veigo
Ho Nang, the palace for women


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Decoration above the door


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The walkway to the second terrace, flanked by milestones


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The stairs up to the second terrace


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A Dvarapala, a guardian on the second terrace.


Picture Family Craps


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Way up to the stairs of the third terrace.


On top of all the stairs: the temple:

Picture Pigalle
Another picture of the temple compund by Travels in Southern Lao


Picture Pigalle
Over the main door


Veigo


Veigo


Veigo
At the left side of the main door


Picture Family Craps
Shiva, Vishnou et Brama


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Look down: the processions way, the palaces and the barays.


See a Vat Phu Video by danychico

Since 2001 Vat Phou is part of Unesco World Heritage. Read more:
Official Webpage of Wat Phu
Globalheritagefund.org
Unesco World Heritage and here and here and on The Globe and Mail

Every year for Makha Bousa (fullmoon day of the third lunar month) thousands of people celebrate the Vat Phou Festival. In 2011 this will be from 25 to 30 january. Thousands of oil lamps will light up the temple grounds (read more).



Where to stay in Champasak

See the locations on Champasak and Vat Phou Google Map
Anouxsa Guesthouse: Good reviews on tripadvisor.com, "Champsak's best choice", comments travelfish.org


Daovone Guesthouse: From 5 USD. 6km south from the ferry crossing, closest guesthouse to Vat Phou.


Dok Champa Guest House: From 4 USD.


Inthira Hotel: From 50 USD. Good reviews on tripadvisor.com, some guests describe problems with communication.


Kham Phuoy Guesthouse: "Excellent bamboo bungalows with concrete floors that would be close to the pick in town if they were on the riverbank", says travelfish.org

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Pimphone Guesthouse: From 4 USD. Closest to Vat Phou.


Saythong Guesthouse: "Fine restaurant", notes travelfish.org, but "shabby" room.

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Souchitra Guesthouse: "Good mix of budget and upmarket accommodation", comments travelfish.org. Critical review on tripadvisor.com

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Maekhay Restaurant inside Souchitrrra Guesthouse on the Mekong


Vong Paseud Guesthouse: From 5 USD.



Don Daeng Island

See the locations on Don Daeng Google Map

Picture Jérôme Guilmot
Mekong beach on Don Daeng

Picture Jérôme Guilmot
Rural life on Don Daeng

Don Daeng is a tranquil island in the Mekong River with sandy beaches, where the traditional Lao rural life with rice farming, coconut and sugarcabe plantation, fishing and basket weaving is going on. A path leads around the island - suitable for bicycling. You find some small stores, where you get a noodle soop Read reports by my egg noodles and twntysmthg.sg.


Where to stay on Don Daeng

La Folie Lodge: From 95 USD. See pictures by mbmplayhard, jenjenes5527 and Diane and Monique
See also the gallery bia Diane. See also this Google Video







In the village Ban Hua Don Daeng you can stay overnight in a community lodge or with local families (mat, pillow and blanket on the floor). Conract the District Tourism office in Champasak or the Provincial Tourism Office in Pakse (phone +0856 031 212 021).

A Deang Island map with Lao Names



Vat Tomo - another Khmer remple

See the locations on Vat Phou and Vat Tomo Google Map

Vat Tomo (also called Ou Moung or Huei Thamo): On a boat trip you discover these temple ruins, set in a forest, about 11 km southeast of Vat Phou, on the east side of the Mekong near Ban Tomo. Vat Tomo consists of a laterite enclosure wall, two gateways in good condition and the original temple, which has collapsed. The ruins of the shrine's brick towers lie in the center of the enclosure. The temple dates from the 7th or 8th centuriy and and has been reconstructed in the 11th/12th century, during the Angkorian period. It seems it has been built first as the female counterpart to the Shiva Temple at Vat Phou, according to an inscription it was in 889 dedicated to Rudrani, the shakti of Shiva. "It houses a rare mukhalinga, a stone linga with two clearly-defined albeit gloomy faces", notes Andy Brouwer, who has good pictures. "It is the only one in Southeast Asia with four faces of Shiva looking in the four cardinal directions", writes Willard G. Van De Bogart.
Read also the description by travelfish.org. More pictures on kuradashieigakan.com. Read more on Vat Phou Fund for the Safeguarding of Champasak Heritage.

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Vat Phou - the site and its history

See the way through the complex of Vat Phou in pictures.

This is the text from the Museum of Vat Phou:

The Archaelogical Site of Vat Phou

The temple complex is located at the foot of Phu Kao, overlooking the floodplain of the Mekong River. The shrine itself is built on a natural terrace of Phu Kao where a freshwater spring gushes out of the rock, just below 200 m asl, but the temple complex as a whole is laid out on a linear plan stretching out for 1400 m along an east - west axis, rising up the lower slopes of the mountain from the plain below. The whole was designed to be approached from the east and to impress the worshipper with the sanctity of the place. This linear axial layout is rare for a pre-Angkorian or Angkorian temple and clearly reflects the conscious use of the natural terrain and the focus of the Lingaparvata to their maximum effect.

At the lowest level, oriented east-west, there is a large baray, some 200 m by 600 m, probably built around the 10th to 11th century AD. It is flanked on its western side by an elaborate stone embankment, to the north are two further large baray constructed by building up earth dykes and not by digging down into the ground. One of those barays, immediately to the north of the first baray was built around the end of 11th and the beginning of 12th century AD. From the first terrace, by the stone embankment, runs the processional causeway, flanked by typical stone pyranidae pillars, used to embellish the ceremonial road.

The temple complex was built on six terraces. The first terrace is over 130 m deep from east to west. The front third is occupied by two large, rectangular stone buildings flanking an esplanade, 44 m wide. Each building is quadrangle of four galleries around a wide courtyard, with overall dimensions of 62 m by 42 m. Facing each other and parallel to the general axis, the main gallery of each quadrangle opens onto the esplanade through a projecting porch, with very elaborately carved doorways, and is connected to the other three galleries by doors located at its extremities. These buildings have been identified in the past as "palaces". However, the present research suggests that they might have been used for ceremonial purposes, praying for good fortune, and hosting a number of monks during the ceremonial period. Judging from the stylistic aspects of architecture - the style of Koh Ker - , is is dated the beginning of 11th century AD.

The western part of the first terrace is an open space rising sligthly towards the foot of the second terrace. On the main axis, a walkway is bordered by regularly spaced milestones, and by the foundations of former galleries which were covered by a wooden-and-tiled roof on stone pillars. To the south is a small, isolated, rectangular building in sandstone, with pillared porches at its north and south sides, traditionally called the Nandi Hall, dated to the mid-11th century AD. Field work in 1998 has shown a building of similar size symmetrically placed to the north of the axial path, never completed.

Raised about 2m above the first one by a retaining wall, the second terrace forms a landing on the main axis. This was flanked by two small structures which sheltered two Dvarapala (guard of temple). One of these is still standing. Both are therefore dated to the 13th century AD. The headless stone sculptures of two tall guardians are lying on the grass, together with other fragments.

A flight of stairs between retaining walls gives access to the third terrace, forming the next landing between two small stone pavilions (the north one mostly built with re-uesed blocks). On the main axis, a 75 m long ramp raises gradually by 15m, slightly elevated above the open space on both sides which follows the natural slope.

The fourth terrace, approximately 20 m wide, is retained by a higher wall. The original stairway to it, composed of 3 flights between lateral stone banks, is now encased by a later one made of re-used stones. There are 6 small brick towers, three on each side of the axial path. Those towers are aligned on a common, north-south axis. A linga was placed in each tower. The style of linga, together stylistic aspects of the towers, indicate that the towers were built around the 11th century AD.

The fifth terrace is also about 20 m wide but divided into two parts by a flight of stone steps, and slightly raised above the fourth one. A stone-paved landing with Naga-balustrades marks the main axis.

From this level starts e series of seven tiers of retaining walls, with a total height of 15 m. They are axially intersected by seven flights of stairs, of eleven steps each, separated by narrow landings.

The stiars end at a sixth and last terrace located about 75 m above the barays and commanding and impressive view over the whole complex and over the plain to the Mekong and beyond. The terrace is a rough square of 60 x 60 m, with the main Sanctuary (shrine) dedicated to Shiva, at its centre. Behind it, at the foot of a overhanging cliff which dramatically closes the whole sequence, is the spring which accounts for the sanctity of this precise site. The stream has been channeled so that it flowed through the main sanctuary of the temple itself and over the central representation of Shiva which originally would have been in the sculpted form of a Shiva lingam. Therefore, the linga was always kept wet by the holy water coming from the spring. To the south of the central shrine is a small ruined building, commonly known as the "library".

The western side of the terrace, below the overhanging cliff, was formerly closed by a galleried portico, of which some remains survive. On the north side, this terrace is extended by natural shelf of the mountain, on which stands a small modern monastery and, farther, several rock carvings and ancient stone structure, roughly dated to the 7th century AD. partly crushed at an unknown date by the fall of huge rocks from the cliff above.

Recent study of the brick part of the present shrine indicate, that it is probably dated around the 10th - 11th century AD. However, it is itself of two periods, with the brick rectangular tower at the back being the earliest. It is now fronted by a later (11th century AD) antechamber or mandapa. The quality of the carving of this building is very fine. The style of architecture shows that it may be classified "Baphuan Style" which is typically 11th century.

The whole complex developed over a long period. The earliest remains found are of the seventh century AD, as noted above, but much of what can now be seen is much later. There was a major rebuilding in the eleventh/twelfth centuries and the site was maintained by the rulers of Angkor down to the fourteenth century. It was converted from Hinduism to Buddhism in the thirteenth century AD and retains a local religious function down to the present day.

(Text from the Management Plan of Champasak)