There is a temple called Wat Phu in the Champasak village of south Laos that symbolizes brilliant ancient Asian history. In Laos, “wat” means “temple” and “phu” means “mountain”, so when put together, Wat Phu means “temple in the mountain”.
The temple was constructed from the 5th into the 15th century and is a historical site of 1,000 years of history. Especially because it spreads a vast area from the river to the mountains, you can feel the traces of the amazing ancient civilization.
In 2001, Wat Phu was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, titled “Vat Phou and Associated Ancient Settlements within the Champasak Cultural Landscape.” As a request from the Laos government, starting from 2013, Korea has been part of a project that restores the historical site.
In February 2019, while restoring the temple, the Korean Cultural Heritage Administration and Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation found the ‘giltbronze yoni’, a statue of a woman who represents a Hindu goddess, and a basement in the base of the Buddhist temple that was constructed to keep misfortunes out.
Experts said that the gilt-bronze yoni statue is an important piece in learning more about the history of Khmer’s trade activities. Also, the Wat Phu office said that this is the first Yoni found and thanked Korea for their discovery.
Not only is it Korea’s dream to restore Laos’ cultural heritage assets together with its government, but also they want to revive, protect and restore the cultural heritages that mankind shares.