Vat Phou (Wat Phu)

Vat Phou (or Wat Phu) is a ruined Khmer Hindu temple complex in southern Laos. It is located at the base of mount Phu kao, some 6km (3.7 mi) from the Mekong in Champasak Province. There was a temple on the site as early as the 5th century, but the surviving structures date from the 11th to 13th centuries. The temple has a unique structure, in which the elements lead to a shrine where a lingam dedicated to Lord Shiva was bathed in water from a mountain spring. The site later became a centre of Theravada Buddhist worship, which it remains today.