That Sikhottabong

On the Mekong's left bank a few kilometers south of Thakhek, That Sikhottabong rises nearly thirty meters in gold and white. Lao Buddhists believe it enshrines relics of the Buddha, and for one full-moon night each year it draws pilgrims from both sides of the river to a festival of alms, processions, and wax-castle offerings.

That Sikhottabong stands on the Lao bank of the Mekong about six kilometers south of Thakhek, in Khammouane Province. The stupa, a slender bell of gold and whitewash rising near thirty meters from a square base, is among the most venerated relic-monuments of central Laos. Lao tradition holds that it enshrines relics of the Buddha, placing it within a small constellation of Mekong relic-stupas that also includes That Ing Hang downriver in Savannakhet and That Phanom across the water in Thailand. Together these shrines anchor a shared Buddhist identity that has long ignored the modern border running down the river. The site takes its name, and much of its mythic charge, from the legendary Phaya Khottabong, after whom the ancient Sikhottabong kingdom was also named. Outside the festival season the compound is quiet, a place for a slow circumambulation and the offering of incense; for a few days in February it becomes one of the busiest pilgrimage gatherings in the region. The stupa's appeal is not architectural drama so much as continuity, the sense of a relic faithfully kept and re-enshrined across many centuries on the same stretch of riverbank.

Tradition places the stupa's founding around the 6th century, when a ruler of the Sikhottabong kingdom is said to have raised a riverside shrine to safekeep relics of the Buddha. Both the kingdom and the monument take their name from the legendary Phaya Khottabong. The accounts vary in their royal names and spellings, so the founding is best understood as a legendary act of devotion rather than a firmly documented event. What history can affirm more securely is the 16th-century refurbishment under King Setthathirath of Lan Xang, who tied the stupa into the wider Lao Buddhist landscape of his reign.

Theravada Buddhism in the Lao lineage of Lan Xang, sharing the Mekong relic-stupa tradition with That Ing Hang and That Phanom.

What draws devotion here is the conviction that the stupa contains relics of the Buddha. In Theravada practice a relic-stupa is not a symbol pointing elsewhere; it is treated as a continuing presence, a place where the Buddha can be honored directly through circumambulation and offering. That Sikhottabong's sacredness is deepened by its place in a network. Lao and northeastern Thai pilgrims understand it as one of three sibling relic-shrines strung along the river, so that to venerate it is to take part in a devotional geography larger than any single temple. Its riverside setting reinforces this. The Mekong has carried trade, kingdoms, and pilgrims for as long as the relic tradition has held, and the stupa's continuity through cycles of decay and restoration is itself part of what makes the place feel weighted with the prayers of generations.

Founded to enshrine and safeguard relics of the Buddha, anchoring the religious life of the Sikhottabong kingdom along the Mekong.

From a legendary early foundation the stupa was substantially refurbished in the 16th century under King Setthathirath of Lan Xang and has been maintained and re-enshrined across the centuries, becoming a provincial icon of Khammouane and the focus of a major annual festival.

The enduring observances are relic veneration and circumambulation of the stupa, alongside the cycle of refurbishment and re-enshrinement that has kept the relic honored across the centuries.

Today the stupa receives daily merit-making and alms to its resident monks. Its great occasion is the annual Boun That Sikhottabong festival at the full moon of the third lunar month, usually February, which combines religious rites and alms-giving with wax-castle (prasat pheung) processions, a trade fair, and traditional performances, and draws pilgrims from northeastern Thailand as well as across Laos.

Walk slowly around the stupa, offering incense and flowers as you go, and keep a measured pace that lets the relic tradition register. If visiting at festival time, arrive early and let the procession set the rhythm rather than working against the crowds.

Most of the year the visit is unhurried. The stupa stands bright against the sky in an open compound near the water, and the act of walking slowly around its base, incense in hand, is the heart of what people come to do. The setting is rural and calm, the river close by, and the scale is human rather than overwhelming. Visitors often describe an hour or two of quiet attention as enough. The site changes character entirely during the Boun That Sikhottabong festival at the February full moon, when the grounds fill with pilgrims, alms-givers, traders, and performers, and the devotional intensity becomes communal and loud. To arrive on an ordinary morning is to meet the stupa as a steady local presence; to arrive at the festival is to feel the pull that draws people across the river.

The stupa sits about six kilometers south of central Thakhek on the Mekong's left bank, in an open riverside compound reached by tuk-tuk or car.

The stupa is read both as a revered relic-shrine of central Laos and as a monument whose earliest history dissolves into legend.

Scholars treat it as a revered Lao relic-stupa with a legendary early foundation and a documented 16th-century restoration, noting that its early history blends devotion and legend rather than firm archaeology.

Lao Buddhists regard the stupa as enshrining relics of the Buddha and as a cornerstone of regional spiritual identity, drawing pilgrims from both banks of the Mekong.

The precise founding date and the identity of the royal builder remain legendary, and reliable archaeological dating of the original structure is not established in available sources.

About six kilometers south of central Thakhek, Khammouane Province, on the Mekong riverbank; reachable by tuk-tuk or car.

Standard Theravada temple respect: modest dress, quiet conduct, discreet photography.

Dress modestly, covering shoulders and knees, and remove shoes where required.

Generally permitted; be discreet around worshippers and during ceremonies.

Incense, flowers, candles, and alms to the monks are customary.

Keep quiet and respectful, and do not climb on the stupa.

Continue through the atlas by country, tradition, site type, or a focused search that combines this place’s strongest context.

Sacred places within a half-day’s reach. Pilgrims often visit them together: walk one, stay for the other.

That Ing Hang

Savannakhet, Savannakhet Province, Laos

82.6 km away

Pha That Luang

Vientiane Capital, Vientiane Prefecture, Laos

240.3 km away

Đền Đức Mẹ La Vang

Hải Lăng, Hải Lăng, Quảng Trị Province, Vietnam

261.2 km away

Wat Luang

Pakse, Laos

269.3 km away

Sources consulted when researching this page. Independent verification by readers is welcome.

1. 01That Sikhottabong — Wikipedia contributors
2. 02Khammouane to Host Annual Sikhottabong Stupa Festival 2026 — Laotian Times
3. 03Sikhottabong Festival — Lao News Agency (KPL)
4. 04Khammouane Province — Tourism Laos (national tourism authority)
5. 05Phaya Khottabong — Wikipedia contributors
6. 06Sikhottabong Festival — Discover Laos Today