Wat May Souvannapoumaram

The low, curving roof of Wat May Souvannapoumaram sits deep behind a five-tiered front porch, decorated with gilded bas-reliefs that tell the story of the Ramayana. For decades, this temple served as the residence of the Sangharat, the highest-ranking Buddhist monk in Laos. When the royal family still occupied the nearby palace, they brought the sacred Prabang Buddha statue here every year during the Lao New Year festival. People bathed the statue in perfumed water, letting it trickle down the temple steps.