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Vat Tomo |
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Known as: |
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Uo Moung |
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Description: |
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The Khmer temple ruin of Uo Moung (Vat Tomo), beside a small
tributary of the Mekong, is believed to have been built late in
the 9th century during the reign of the Khmer King Yasovarman I.
Its exact function is unknown, though its orientation towards
the holy mountain Phu Pasak suggests its location was somehow
related to Wat Phu Champasak, and thus it's included as part of
the Wat Phu World Heritage Site, even though it sits on the east
side of the river. It's not worth a trip for everyone, but the
forest and excessive moss do give it a 'lost' feeling.
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ruins include an entranceway bordered by lotus-bud carvings,
like those found at Wat Phu, and two crumbling gopura (ornate
entranceways), one still partially standing. Several lintels and
other sandstone carvings are displayed on rocks beneath towering
dipterocarp trees, but the best art from this site is in the Wat
Phu Exhibition Hall, including an unusual lingam-style stone
post on which two faces have been carved. It's unusual because
mukhalinga usually have four mukha (faces), while most ordinary
linga have no face at all. The white building at the heart of
the site houses a bronze Sukhothai-style Buddha.
Uo Moung is
45km from Pakse. The signed turn-off along Rte 13 is just past
the Huay Tomo bridge next to a market where you can look for
săhm-lór or tuk-tuk if you are travelling by public transport
and don't want to walk the 4.5km to the site.
You can also
visit Uo Moung by boat from Don Daeng or Champasak on the
opposite bank of the Mekong. From Champasak, you're looking at
about 400,000K return to charter a boat, including waiting time
of an hour or so, to the nearby village of Ban Tomo. The price
will be about 60,000K or so return from Ban Sisouk at the south
end of Don Daeng; although keep in mind that there is a small
possibility that no boats will be available.
A good full-day
option is to rent a bicycle in Champasak and take a boat first
to Don Daeng, then to Ban Tomo, then cross the river back to the
western shore (also about 60,000K) and ride back to Champasak. |
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Champasak |
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District |
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City |
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Nakham Noi |
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Ruins |
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GPS : |
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14.80888, 105.91895 |
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