If you come to Luang Phrabang (Laos), you could list Pak Ou grotto into the list of favorite destinations of yours. This is not only the unique, mysterious, but it also contains historical values.
There is a connection between this landscape with Luang Phrabang, and you could recognize that the history of Pak Ou cave is longer than the appearance of Buddhism in this country.
Pak Ou grotto means grotto in the estuary Ou. However, it also has another name that is called by the local people, which is Tam Ting grotto. That means grotto of a thousand of Buddha.
It is such alike the name, there are about thousands of Buddha statues from the palm size to the size of a person. The real number is about 4,000 statues in two grottoes. The upper grotto has 1,500 statues and it is called Tam Pum grotto. The lower grotto has 2,500 statues and it’s called Tam Ting.
Most of these statues are carved from wood, lacquered with red of black colors, and after all gold-laid. Besides, there are some statues made from animal horn, bronze or ceramic.
As mentioned above, this location appeared before the Buddhism in Laos. Before that, the belief, which considered every object and creature has a soul, dominated this land, and this grotto is considered the magical place to combine that belief to the one that honor God of River. Even after the coming of Buddhism, the previous belief still be developed and combined in a harmonious way.
Therefore, people often show their respect towards this land by putting the Buddha statues inside for more than 600 years.
You could be satisfied with the journey to Pak Ou grotto. This is your own memorable trip with full of beautiful landscape and peaceful country behaviors.
While approaching the entrance of the grotto from the river, you could see the high cliff and the whirlpool of Nam Ou River while it joins Mekong River. You will see the statues standing like waiting for you for so long.
You could also visit Kuang Si waterfall near that grotto to escape from the heat and want to jump to the swimming pool.
