India & Laos' National Monument

10-07-2003, 12:35 AM

"The Ramayana is also the common heritage of our entire(South Asian)
region, and each of our cultures have found unique ways of depicting
it." PM Vajpayee
India & Laos' National Monument
Compiled from various sources including Laos' Indian Embassy Site and
various Travel and Tour websites.

Interaction between India and the Lao PDR dates back to the reign of
King Asoka. According to a legend, as early as the 3rd century BC,
emissaries of King Asoka brought a relic of the Buddha to Laos, which
is believed to have been placed beneath the That Luang temple in
Vientiane. The Wat Phu temple in Champassak Province (Southern Laos)
is a standing example of the rich cultural interaction between India
and Laos in the 7th and 8th century A.D. In many ways, the Wat Phu
temple is considered to be a precursor of the Angkor Vat group of
temples in Cambodia. In a recent excavation, Hindu religious icons
like the Shiva Lingam have been discovered in an area close to the
Wat Phu. Similar icons were also found in the northern province of
Bokkeo (bordering Myanmar).

The impact of these traditional and cultural links is clearly evident
even today in various aspects of the Lao religion, with both Buddhist
and Hindu influences, language (with roots in Sanskrit and Pali), art
and architecture, philosophy, customs and social ethos. Lao PDR has
developed, almost as a fine art, its own version of the Hindu epic
Ramayana in ballet form.

Pha Tat Luang (Great Sacred Reliquary or Great Stupa) is the most
important national monument in Laos, a symbol of both the Buddhist
religion and Lao sovereignty. Its full official name, Pha Jedi
Lokajulamani, means World-Precious Sacred Stupa, and an image of the
main stupa appears on the national seal. Legend has it that Ashokan
missionaries from India erected a thaat or reliquary stupa here to
enclose a breastbone of the Buddha.

Since then Pha That Luang have been refurbished over times by
different kings of Lan Xang Kingdom. During the 18th and 19th
centuries, the stupa was severely damaged by Burmese and Siamese
invaders and then it had been abandoned and restored during French
colonial ear in 1900. Before restoration for about 30 years, Louis
Delaporte, a French explorer and architect had sketched details of
Pha That Luang; later between 1931-1935 they were used for the
reconstruction of Pha That Luang. It is an interesting religious
attraction for all visitors - for it is built to encode meaning of
Buddhism.

The Indian Embassy organised many functions during the Prime
Minister's visit to Laos in November 2002, including a Bharatanatyam
performance by a 10-member group led by Smt. Saroja Vaidyanathan
which took place on the 6th of November 2002 at the Lao Prime
Minister's banquet, and later at the National Cultural Hall on the
same evening. In a move to promote Indian paintings in the Lao PDR,
Shri Vajpayee inaugurated an exhibition of Madhubani paintings in
Vientiane on 7th November. While inaugurating the exhibition, PM in
his speech commented, "While driving through your country, I have
been struck by the evidence of the shared history and cultural
heritage between India and Laos. Your stupas and pagodas remind us
that Buddhism is a symbol of our common past." The PM added, "The
Ramayana is also the common heritage of our entire region, and each
of our cultures have found unique ways of depicting it." The External
Affairs Minister, Yashwant Sinha, who accompanied the Prime Minister,
observed that though the present exhibition of Madhubani paintings
were done in paper, in their original form artists had used the walls
and floors of mud houses in villages as their canvas.

Shri Vajpayee visited the Buddhist temple of Wat Sisaket, where more
than 450 large and over 10,000 small Buddha statues belonging to the
5th and 6th centuries have been preserved. He also laid a wreath at
the Monument of the Unknown Soldier.

India and the Lao PDR share friendly and cordial relations, set on a
solid historical cultural basis and reinforced by mutually beneficial
exchanges in the political and economic spheres in more recent times.
India's principled role in Laos as the Chairman of the International
Commission for Supervision and Control (ICSC) in Indo-China from 1954
to 1975 is still remembered fondly and appreciated both by the
government and the Lao people.

At present, cultural cooperation between the two countries is
governed by a Cultural Exchange Programme (CEP) signed between India
and Lao PDR in January 1996, and subsequently extended regularly.

On the cultural front, both sides agreed to extend the duration of
the existing Cultural Exchange Programme (CEP) for a further period
of two years from 2002-2004, through an exchange of letters.

Indian dance troupes have been visiting Laos from time to time. A Lao
Cultural group gave performances in India in 1989 and later, in 2002.
During 1997-98, two dance performances and one photo exhibition in
various Lao cities were organised. As part of the 50th Anniversary of
India's Independence, two dance groups, i.e. Shankarananda
Kalakshetra and the Bharatanatyam exponent, Ms. Leela Samson visited
the Lao PDR. A photo exhibition on India was organised in Vientiane
and Luang Prabang during 1998-99. Similarly, a photo exhibition
entitled "Footsteps of the Buddha: Buddhist Monuments and Sites in
India" was organised in Vientiane at the prestigious National
Cultural Hall in July 2000. On August 18, 2000, a ten-member group
from Sri Idagunji Mahaganapathi Yakshagana Mandali Keremane presented
a dance-drama on "Vaalivadha" (The Death of Vaali), an episode from
the epic Ramayana, in Vientiane.

The Mission in cooperation with the Lao Ministry of Information &
Culture organised an Indian Film Festival from October 9 to 15, 2000
in Vientiane. Six Indian films Gandhi, Mohra, Deewar, Purab Aur
Pashim, 1942 - A Love Story and Kabhi Haa Kabhi Naa, were screened in
the Film Festival at the National Culture Hall.

In 2001, two Film Festivals, including a retrospective of Raj
Kapoor's films, were organised by the Embassy, as well as a
Bharatanatyam performance by the 5-member Padmini Dorairajan troupe
in Vientiane and Luang Prabhang. A Book Exhibition with over 2000
volumes was held in September 2001, the first ever such exhibition in
the Lao PDR. In January 2002, a Bhangra & Giddha troupe performed at
the National Culture Hall, followed by a Kathakali dance drama in
February 2002. In June 2002, a Film Festival featuring Yes Boss,
Maine Pyaar Kiya, Karan Arjun, Ghulaam and Deewar was held.

Embassy organised many functions during the Prime Minister's visit in
November 2002, including a Bharatanatyam performance by a 10-member
group led by Smt. Saroja Vaidyanathan which took place on the 6th of
November 2002 at the Lao Prime Minister's banquet, and later at the
National Cultural Hall on the same evening. In a move to promote
Indian paintings in the Lao PDR, Shri Vajpayee inaugurated an
exhibition of Madhubani paintings in Vientiane on 7th November. While
inaugurating the exhibition, PM in his speech commented, "While
driving through your country, I have been struck by the evidence of
the shared history and cultural heritage between India and Laos. Your
stupas and pagodas remind us that Buddhism is a symbol of our common
past." The PM added, "The Ramayana is also the common heritage of our
entire region, and each of our cultures have found unique ways of
depicting it." The External Affairs Minister, Yashwant Sinha, who
accompanied the Prime Minister, observed that though the present
exhibition of Madhubani paintings were done in paper, in their
original form artists had used the walls and floors of mud houses in
villages as their canvas.
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