Stone house recalls Khmer influence in Savannakhet

The ancient Heuan Hin (Stone House) in Savannakhet province bears testimony to the influence of the Champa Kingdom in the area and is one of the province’s most intriguing tourist attractions.

Savannakhet province was part of the Champa Kingdom from the 7th to 10th centuries, followed by the Khmer Kingdom until the 13th century. In the 14th century, the Lane Xang Kingdom dominated the area and included Savannakhet.

The Heuan Hin, a 1,000-year old outpost of the Khmer civilisation, is one of the most interesting Khmer ruins in Savannakhet province.

According to the Tourism Department of Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, the Stone House is believed to have been one of the 121 resthouses built by King Jayavarman VII (1181-1218) along the roads which once connected every corner of the Khmer Empire. It shares similar characteristics with Vat Phou in Champassak province and Phimai Temple in Thailand.

Every year in April, a festival is held at the Stone House on the full moon night, when people show respect to their ancestors.

In the morning, there is a Buddhist ceremony and monks make offerings to the people who built the Stone House so many years ago. This event attracts people from surrounding areas and from the provincial capital.

During the festival, people can also shop for locally made products. At night they dance the lamvong, with men and women forming a big circle and dancing together until the song ends.

The Heuan Hin is located in Dong Dokmay village in Songkhone district, 65km south of the provincial capital. It is open daily from 8am to 4pm.

Savannakhet province, especially its capital, was developed as the administrative and commercial centre of southern Laos during the French era in the 19th century.

The province is also home to other sites of historical and scenic attractions, such as the That Ing Hang stupa, Vat Xayaphoum, Vat Lattanalangsy, the Dinosaur Museum, Savannakhet Provincial Museum, old French colonial buildings, the President Kaysone Phomvihanh memorial, Dinosaur Footprints, Lao-Vietnamese monument, Dong Phou Vieng National Protected Area, Sepon Waterfall, Phalong Waterfall, That Nang Lao stupa, the Hortay Pidok (ancient Buddhist scripts library), Turtle Lake, Monkey Forest, Fay Soui irrigation channels, Kang Kong Phanang, and the That Phonh stupa.

Source - laovoices