H.E. Mr. Suresh K. Goel, Ambassador of India to Lao PDR, on behalf of Government of India and H.E. Mr. Bosengkham Vongdara, Vice Minister of Culture & Information, on behalf of the Government of Lao PDR today signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the conservation and restoration of UNESCO World Heritage Site of Wat Phou.

The landmass known as Indochina used to be known as “Suvarnabhumi”. The literary works also speak of old trade links with Southeast Asia. The World Heritage Cultural site Wat Phou symbolizes age-old cultural and civilizational linkages between India and Lao PDR. The Wat Phou temples built around the 6th Century A.D. with Hindu architecture and themes in Champasak are an eloquent testimony to the rich civilizational relationship between the peoples of India and this region even two millennia ago.

The project will be executed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in direct coordination with Department of Cultural Heritage Management, Ministry of Information and Culture of Lao PDR. ASI had also done the complex restoration work at Angkor Vat in Siem Reap which testifies to their rich experience in such work. The team from ASI would be stationed at the Wat Phou Temple complex in Champasak Province. Over a period of few years, the team would work to restore the main temple complex including the palaces, causeways and terraces of the complex. The restoration work is comprehensive in nature and would be completed in three or four phases.

The Wat Phou is not merely an archaeological site but represents the core of Lao spirit as it existed in that era from 6th Century onwards. The restoration work by ASI will contribute to the revival of the rich cultural tradition of Lao people and the Lao spirit.

Vientiane
May 30, 200