Classroom lesson · That Luang - the golden stupa · 🇱🇦 Laos

That Luang - the golden stupa

Laos's most sacred building - a tower of solid gold colour that rises above the capital

The gold-coloured That Luang stupa rising against a blue sky in Vientiane

Photo · Wikimedia Commons

What is it?

That Luang is a large golden Buddhist monument in Vientiane, the capital city of Laos. It is the most important building in the whole country - a national symbol that appears on Laos's coins and official seal. The tower, called a 'stupa', rises 45 metres into the sky and is covered in gold-coloured paint that glows in the sun.

Tell me more

A stupa is a special kind of monument in Buddhist tradition. It is built as a solid tower - not hollow inside - and is meant to be walked around slowly, not entered. Buddhists walk around the outside in a clockwise direction as a form of prayer and respect. The shape of a stupa is meaningful: the different levels represent steps towards wisdom.

That Luang stands on a raised platform surrounded by a cloister wall with small chapels. At the festival time of 'Boun That Luang' in November, thousands of people from across Laos gather at the monument to give offerings, light candles, and join processions that circle the stupa at night by candlelight.

The stupa is very old. Historians believe there has been a sacred monument on this spot for over 2,000 years, though the current building was constructed and rebuilt several times, most recently in the 1930s. The golden colour was restored carefully using modern paints that are as close as possible to the original gold leaf.

That Luang means 'Great Stupa' in the Lao language. It appears on the national seal of Laos, on banknotes, and on official documents - making it as important to Lao identity as a national flag.

In the classroom

Walk your class through this in 15 minutes.

Talk together

Discussion prompts

01That Luang is on Laos's money and official seal, like a national symbol. What symbols represent your country, and why do you think those were chosen?
02Walking slowly around a building as a form of respect - can you think of other times when moving slowly is a way of showing care or importance?
03If your class designed a monument to stand for your school, what shape would it be and what would it represent?

Try this

Classroom activity

Design a national seal for an imaginary country. It must include: one important building or natural place, one animal, and one symbol that shows what the people value. Compare your seals - what patterns appear? What do people choose most often?

That Luang - the golden stupa

Walk your class through this in 15 minutes.

Discussion prompts

Classroom activity

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