PHOTOGRAPHER SCOTT WOODWARD CAPTURES LUANG PRABANG’S SPIRITUALITY IN HIS SHUTTER’S EYE

LUANG PRABANG is a captivating destination; a wondrously preserved community tucked on a peninsula at the confluence of the twisting Mekong and Khan rivers. Simple wooden homes creep down steep slopes toward the water’s brink, where families bathe, children frolic and fisherman drift by, as they cast their nets into the lazy chocolate-coloured river.

High above, along the gritty lanes of this tiny town, gold-spired stupas, sloping auburn temple roofs and faded colonial French architecture steal glimpses from behind giant swaying palms. Seemingly suspended in a time warp between past and present, life in Luang Prabang drifts leisurely to an enchanting rhythm, much like the muddy waters that envelop it.

Swathed in ginger robes, hundreds of monks and novices occupy the 32 active, centuries-old Buddhist monasteries that line Luang Prabang’s narrow, dusty streets. Many of these young novices have journeyed from across the land to this tiny community to gain an education, while practising Buddhism.

Residing in primitive wooden cottages within each of the temple’s grounds, the novices are extremely cheerful and affable, often engaging tourists in friendly conversation about their hometowns, families, jobs and travels. Such casual chats are both interesting and enjoyable, providing visitors an opportunity to learn a little about the lives of the monks, while giving the novices a chance to practice their English language skills.

The lavish temples these monks call home – some dating as far back as the 16th century – are not just active shrines, but living, breathing museums and art galleries, representing the town’s deep religious, historical and cultural significance.

The traditional temple architecture of Luang Prabang is certainly special: all of the numerous wats boast distinctive sloping tiers of multiple, overlapping roofs that arch gracefully toward the ground. Each beautiful monastery is different, with its very own intricate paintings, elaborate carvings and complex stencilling. And every one of the temple grounds is also unique, displaying ancient stupas that spiral towards the heavens, decorated with various images and effigies of Buddha, or ornamented with delightfully manicured gardens that overflow with fragrant flowers.

In 1995, UNESCO acknowledged this sleepy riverside village as worthy of both conservation and improvement, declaring Luang Prabang a World Heritage Site. Under the United Nations’ plans, each of the temples is being painstakingly restored and preserved, ensuring that its beauty and splendour can be enjoyed for generations to come.

Luang Prabang possesses a subtle majestic and old-world character. The tiny community has maintained its rich heritage and individual culture, and its residents are charming, gentle and gracious. However, it is Luang Prabang’s powerful and vibrant spiritual core, represented by the numerous graceful sims, personified by the hundreds of saffron-clad monks, and embodied by the village’s devout piety and adherence to time-honoured custom, that both enthralled and inspired this photographer.

MORNING ALMS
Luang Prabang’s misty morning silence is broken at dawn each day by the sound of feet shuffling out of monasteries across the sleepy village. A blur of saffron-robed, barefooted monks line the town’s dusty lanes just after 6am. Silver alms bowls are slung across their shoulders, and they silently and humbly collect their daily offerings of sticky rice and other small foodstuffs from thankful locals; a symbolic exchange of physical sustenance for spiritual nourishment.

In less than half an hour, the monks complete their rounds and fade back into temples for their morning meal.

This esteemed ritual is rather magical to witness, and truly emblematic of the local community, where age-old customs endure despite modern times.

SALA PHA BANG
The Sala Pha Bang, a colourful and extremely ornate pavilion within the Royal Palace compound, is in its final stages of construction. When completed, this elaborately adorned building will accommodate the revered Pha Bang, a large golden Buddha statue and Luang Prabang’s namesake, believed to offer spiritual protection to Laos. Shaped in gold, silver and bronze, legend says this most prized Buddhist effigy was cast in the first century in Sri Lanka, eventually arriving in Luang Prabang as a gift to Laos royalty in the 14th century.

WAT HOSIAN
Luang Prabang is home to hundreds of novice monks cloaked in tangerine robes. Many of these young boys have travelled from all over Laos to this small riverside community to receive an education at one of the local schools while practising Buddhism. The novices live in small, rickety wooden buildings on temple compounds, rising before dawn to pray and collect daily alms, prior to spending their days quietly studying under shady trees, practising their English with tourists, or simply watching the world go by from their ramshackle shuttered windows.

WAT MAI SUWANNAPHUMAHAM (WAT MAI)
Wat Mai is among Luang Prabang’s largest and most striking temples. Built in 1821, this sanctuary is revered for its spiritual, aesthetic and architectural beauty. The wooden temple’s brilliant five-tiered roof is constructed in the traditional Luang Prabang style, while the sim’s front verandah stretches the breadth of the entire façade.

Under the balcony’s cover, visitors will discover intricately stencilled columns, beams and ceilings, as well as elaborate golden reliefs depicting scenes from the Vessantara, Buddha’s penultimate rebirth. Indeed, Wat Mai’s beauty is such that the Chinese Haw (raiders who ravaged much of Luang Prabang in 1887) spared its destruction, believing the sim was too beautiful to destroy.

WAT PHA MAHATHAT (WAT THAT)
Wat Mahathat is one of Luang Prabang’s most noteworthy temples, an important element of the religious structure of the city. Also known as “The Monastery of the Stupa” – so-called because of the imposing gold-topped, Lanna-style stupa erected in 1548 that decorates the sim’s grounds – this temple boasts a colourful and festooned frontage. Elaborate rosette-gilded columns and detailed Jataka (stories of Buddha’s past lives) reliefs adorn the temple, as well as an impressive seven-headed naga (dragon) that stands guard over this place of worship.

WAT SAEN
Wat Saen is a magnificent Thai-influenced temple set in a very large courtyard just off Sisavangvong Road, Luang Prabang’s main thoroughfare. Erected in 1718, and restored in 1932 and again in 1957, Wat Saen is affectionately referred to as the 100,000 Wat, for the 100,000 kip (less than $10 at today’s exchange rate) endowment that helped its founding nearly 300 years ago.

Friendly novice monks wander the temple grounds and sit reading silently on the sim’s steps. A giant golden Buddha statue is sheltered in an open pavilion within the compound; at its feet, effigies sit amidst urns of smouldering incense.

WAT XIENG THONG
Proudly standing at the peninsula tip, Wat Xieng Thong is easily the most exquisite of all Luang Prabang’s monasteries. Erected in 1560 by King Say Setthathirat, the Xieng Thong compound contains several minor stupas and striking chapels, each boasting intricate glasswork mosaics, highly complex stencilling and detailed carvings.

The expansive grounds of Xieng Thong are spacious yet tranquil, shaded by palms and banyan trees, and accented by gardens of bougainvillea, frangipani and hibiscus. The main sim is representative of the traditional Lao architectural style, with a low-arching roof that sweeps elegantly towards the ground.

The numerous small temples of Xieng Thong house collections of ancient sacred relics, some dating as far back as the 16th century, including a rare and beautiful reclining bronze Buddha statue.

WAT CHOMEPHET (WAT CHOM PHET)
Directly across the Mekong from central Luang Prabang are several remarkable temples that can be reached by boat for only a few dollars. Perched high on the jungle hillside, amongst swaying palms and a tiny rural village, is the ancient Wat Chomephet. Constructed by the Thai Army in 1888, Chomephet is no longer an active Buddhist shrine; however, its rustic charm, peaceful surroundings and wonderful vantage point of Luang Prabang make the short journey across the river a worthwhile excursion.

WAT NONG SIKHUNMEUANG (WAT NONG SIKHOUNMANG)
Late in the day, around 6pm, monks all across Luang Prabang congregate in their respective temples for evening prayers.

Here, a group of novices gather inside Wat Nong Sikhunmeuang, one of the city’s largest sanctuaries. Built in 1729, this sim is simply yet handsomely decorated in scarlet and gold. Melodic chants waft from temples across the community each evening as the sun slowly sets on yet another tranquil day in Luang Prabang.

WAT XIENG MOUANE
Throughout history, monks and novices have diligently maintained the Buddhist temples of Luang Prabang. Unfortunately, as generations age and pass on, artistic lineages and traditional knowledge that guide temple architecture and decorative restoration fades. To help bridge this gap, the Cultural Survival in Luang Prabang Project was initiated in 2000 by UNESCO, the Department of Information & Culture, and the Laotian Buddhist Sangha.

A training centre, managed by teachers from the Luang Prabang School of Fine Arts, was founded on the grounds of Wat Xieng Mouane. Here, many novice monks from across the country come to live and study the many traditional artisan skills necessary to ensure that Luang Prabang’s temples are faithfully conserved.

Originally from Canada, and presently residing in Singapore, Scott Woodward has been taking photographs for over 15 years.

He has spent the past decade living in and travelling to dozens of countries around Asia-Pacific. Browse his photography collection at www.scottawoodward.com