Hunting the Naga king (Part 8)

'MEKONG … THE UNTAMED'

Vithoon Pungprasert

The Nation

 Following the course of the Mekong downstream from Yunnan to Vietnam, we decided to break the journey in Luang Prabang, the ancient capital of the Lao kingdom.

 Surrounded by hills and sitting 700 metres above sea level, Luang Prabang stands majestic at the confluence of the Nam Khan and Mekong rivers. It served as the ancient royal capital of the Lan Xang Kingdom until King Phothisarat moved the administrative seat to Vientiane in 1545. In 1995 the city was named a Unesco World Heritage site.

 But the thread of life that has run through Luang Prabang since ancient times is the Mekong. While ordinary folk rely on its water for their everyday needs, the religiously minded find serenity and a source of insight in the river.

 Buddhism has thrived here for centuries on its banks. Luang Prabang, aka Xieng Thong, is home to 65 or so temples richly decorated in traditional Lao motifs. We were lucky to pay a visit to the city's oldest temple, Wat Wisunarat (Wat Visoun). Built in 1513, it remained the abode of the famous Emerald Buddha until King Setthathirath of Lan Xang moved it to his new capital at Vientiane in 1564. Then in 1779, following Siam's take-over of Vientiane, the Emerald Buddha was taken to Thon Buri before it found its present home in Bangkok during the reign of King Rama I who moved the image to Wat Phra Kaew on March 22, 1784.

 Then, there is Wat Mai Suwannapumaram, former residence of Laos' supreme patriarch, where you can find the Tripitaka (the Pali Canon) written on the traditional palm leaves.

 A short walk away is the first of the 328 steps leading to the summit of Mount Phousi, where a panoramic view of the former capital city awaits.

 The real highlight for us was the Royal Palace Museum. Built for King Sisavang Vong between 1904 and 1909, it was the royal residence until the Communist Pathet Lao took control of the country in 1975. The last Lao king, Sisavang Vattana, fled to the northern jungles with his family, where they disappeared.

 We also enjoyed a trip to the Tham Ting (lower cave) and the Tham Thueng (upper cave) near the mouth of the Ou river. Two hours upstream from Luang Prabang, the caves are only accessible by boat and noted for a hoard of Lao-style Buddha sculptures gathered over the centuries by locals and pilgrims. The collection has been reduced over the years, from 6,000 to 2,000 images at the last count.

 In days gone by, Lao kings paid ceremonial visits to the caves where they performed an annual ritual of bathing the sculptures.

 Near the caves is the mouth of the Ou, a spot believed to be the lair of the Lao Naga serpent king.

Like Luang Prabang's, the history of the Mekong swirls with myth and folklore. Tradition has it that the Laotians are children of the Naga king, who is the ultimate guardian of the river.

 Images of the serpent permeate the art showcased in temples and palaces. To many Lao people, the sinuous currents are still alive with the spirit of the Naga king, who they celebrate in an annual rocket-firing festival in Nong Khiad, a village across the river from Thailand's Nong Khai.

 The Laotians believe that another serpent king resides in Nong Sae, or Erhai Lake in Dali, Yunnan, from which the Mekong flows. Like many Thais, the Lao people trace their ancestral origins to the Nanzhao kingdom in Dali.

 Luang Prabang is also the locus of Theravada Buddhism. The enduring spirit of Lao Buddhism surfaces every morning on the streets of this ancient town. The scene we witnessed couldn't have been more impressive: older women waited by the roadside with kettles of sticky rice which they scooped into the alms bowls of saffron-clad monks in exchange for spiritual merit.

 Offering alms is a tradition that has endured through the centuries in Luang Prabang. White sticky rice, a symbol of purity, is favoured over the less auspicious black or brown sticky rice, considered the food of Mara, or demons. Leftovers of the day usually go to poor families from the surrounding hills.

 At some point Luang Prabang began to feel like home: the locals speak a tongue similar in tone and accent to the Thai dialect of the South. I could hardly believe my ears!

The TV show "Mekong … the Untamed" is on Channel 9 every Monday at 10.15pm.