Sacred Buddhas in Pak Ou caves Lao

Sacred Buddhas in Pak Ou caves Lao, originally uploaded by B℮n.

Sacred Buddhas in Pak Ou caves Lao

Near Pak Ou (mouth of the Ou river) the Tham Ting (lower cave) and the Tham Theung (upper cave) are 25 km from Luang Prabang, Laos. The Pak Ou caves are only accessible by boat, about two hours upstream from the center of Luang Prabang, and have recently become more well known by tourists. The caves are noted for their impressive Lao style Buddha sculptures assembled over the centuries by local people and pilgrims. Hundreds of mostly wooden Buddhist figures are laid out over the floors and wall shelves. They take many different positions, including meditation, teaching, peace, rain, and reclining (nirvana). Tham Ting contains approximately 2,500 Buddhas. It's a Pilgrim thing: Come to Pak Ou, leave a Buddha statue as an offering, light incense, pray, shake the fortune sticks.