The mountain temple of the Mekong — where a Khmer Hindu sanctuary predating Angkor Wat clings to sacred Phu Pasak and time moves at the pace of the river below
Champasak is a small town of 15,000 on the west bank of the Mekong River in southern Laos, the administrative capital of Champasak Province. It was the seat of the Kingdom of Champasak — one of three Lao successor states after the collapse of Lane Xang in the 18th century — and is best known for Vat Phou (Wat Phu), a UNESCO-listed Khmer Hindu temple complex built between the 5th and 13th centuries CE on the slopes of Phu Pasak mountain, 6km upstream. The surrounding landscape of Mekong islands, rice paddies, and lotus ponds makes it one of the most photogenic and unhurried settings in Southea…
Champasak's sacred mountain, Phu Pasak, was already a centre of Khmer religious activity before Angkor rose to dominance — inscriptions at the site date to the 5th century CE, making Vat Phou one of the oldest Khmer religious monuments in existence. The site was adapted from Hindu Shaivite worship to Theravada Buddhism after the 13th century decline of the Khmer empire, and the lower terrace pavilions and avenue of sacred lingams (still venerated today) reflect this layered spiritual history. The Kingdom of Champasak was the last independent Lao principality to be incorporated into French Ind…