“That Dam”: Buddhist stupa in Laos.

A stupa is a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing relics (such as śarīra – typically the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns) that is used as a place of meditation. A related architectural term is a chaitya, which is a prayer hall or temple containing a stupa. In Buddhism, circumambulation or pradakhshina has been an important ritual and devotional practice since the earliest times, and stupas always have a pradakhshina path around them.

Тhat dam or Back Stupa - Buddhist stupa in Vientiane, Laos. Initially «Black Stupa» was covered with gold, as well as many other stupas in the countries where Theravada Buddhism is widespread. But during the Siam War of 1827, the conquerors cleaned the stupa of gold, and since then the brick stump in the heart of Vientiane looks black and overgrown with moss.

Many Laotians believe that the stupa is built at the entrance to the cave, where the seven-headed Nag serpent lives, which tried to protect them from the Siamese army that invaded in 1827.