Wat Xien Thong

The Buddhist temple of Wat Xien Thong, Luang Phrabang, Laos. It was built around 1560 by King Setthathirat, a patron of Buddhism, who ruled Laos from 1548 to 1571, and was a royal temple in this, the former capital of the country, until the Communist Party came to power in 1975. The sweeping low roof-line (likened to a mother hen protecting her brood with her wings), and the superimposed tiers, are typical of Laotian temple design.