Vat Phou

Vat Phou stands at the foot of Phou Kao, overlooking the Mekong plain in southern Laos. Its sanctuary forms part of a sacred landscape extending from the mountain to the river, with processional ways, reservoirs and ancient settlements arranged around a common axis. The natural spring above the temple and the mountain's distinctive summit gave the place particular religious significance.

The site developed over many centuries, reaching its great flowering under the Khmer Empire. Its surviving buildings include works of the eleventh and twelfth centuries, while the last major Khmer additions to the wider landscape belong to the thirteenth. Originally associated with Shiva, Vat Phou continued to be used for worship after the decline of Khmer power, becoming a place of Buddhist devotion.