Top 8 in Top 10 of the world's holiest Buddhist temples.
Located in the heart of Vientiane, That Luang (Great stupa) is the iconic Buddhist monument of the country of Laos. Legend has it that in 236 according to the Buddhist calendar (III century BC), there were five Lao monks after his studies in India returned to his homeland following the knee skeleton of Buddha and for the construction of the temple.
That Luang consists of many pointed towers with a large central tower, which builds up into several ranks, each representing a different stage of the Buddha's enlightenment. The lowest level represents the material world, the highest level representing the world of nothingness. The temple was once destroyed during the Siamese invasion of 1828, then was rebuilt by the French in 1931. This is the iconic work of Laos and has been printed on paper money and coat of arms.