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About
Xieng Khoang
and
Plain of Jars
Xieng Khouang is located in the
north of Laos. Most of its landscape consist of mountains and hills.
XiengKhouang province offers the awesome beauty of high green
mountains and rugged karst formations. The original capital city,
Muang Khun, was almost totally obliterated by US bombing and
consequently, the capital was moved to nearby Phonsavanh. Of several
Muang Khun Buddhist temples built between the 16th and 19th century,
only ruins remain. Vat Pia Vat, however, survived the bombing and
can be visited.
Plain of Jars
The main attraction in Xieng
Khouang province is the Plain of Jars. Stone jars of different
sizes, apparently carved out of solid rocks, are scattered all over
the plateau. The biggest one
reaches a height of 3.25 meters.
Researchers have advanced different theories as to the function of
the stone jars, which are estimated to be 2,500 to 3,000 years old.
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-tonne 'victory cup.'
There is little physical evidence to say that this fanciful legend
does not hold at least a little truth. Major wars have been fought
on the plains over the centuries, as both Lao, Siamese and
Vietnamese armies attempted to win control of them. In the
nineteenth century, Chinese bandits further pillaged the plains so
that, by the time French archaeologist, Madeleine Colani, arrived in
the mid-1930s, almost all that remained of the ancient civilization
of the plains were the jars.
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Colani claimed to have discovered beads, bronzes and other artifacts
that led her to believe that the jars were funerary urns, dating
back 2000 years - an opinion that is held by many researchers today.
However, Colani could not shed any light on how the huge jars,
carved from non-indigenous limestone, had been transported to the
plains - or why so many remained, despite centuries of war. Another
mystery surrounds the artifacts Colani found at the site, for they
have all since vanished.
One last mystery. Though many
battles have ravaged these plains, most devastating were the secret
battles and air raids of the Second Indochina War. Hundreds of
thousands of bombs rained down upon the plains, destroying, among
many others, the beautiful town and temples of Xiang Kuang, while
running battles were fought and lost among the jars. American
bombers also jettisoned unused bombs over the plains as they
returned from raids on Vietnam. Yet, despite all the surrounding
devastation, the jars were virtually untouched.
Approximately 52 km north of
Phonsavanh, hot spring will appeal to travelers in search of
relaxation. The water of both, Ban Noi (Little Spring) and Ban Yai
(Big Spring), reach a temperature of around 60 C.
See also
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