Ho Phra Keo Museum original home of the Emerald Buddha

#myhiddengems Ho Phra Keo temple was built in 1565 when King Setthathirath moved Laos’s capital from Luang Prabang to Vientiane. Ho Phra Kaew temple functioned as a personal chapel for Laos Royals and accommodated the famous Emerald Buddha statue, an important symbol of Buddhism. The stairways to the temple’s entrances carry a mythological Naga snake sculptured in stone After that the Siamese King, a Buddhist, remade an identical statue and returned it to Laos, to be replaced where the statue was taken. Through the war years, Wat Phra Kaew was destroyed and restored many times, now it is no longer used for Buddhist worship, it’s turned into a museum preserving precious artifacts such as Buddha statues, a gilded throne for the Emerald Buddha, inscribed Khmer stone steles, some wood sculptures or inscriptions carved in stone There is a large stone jar in the garden, which actually comes from Laos’ mysterious Plain of Jars.