 Click on the map to see more information about each site |
The Champasak plain contained at least two cities, Shrestrapura
and Lingapura.
Lingapura, just to the south of the Vat Phou Temple Complex,
was built and occupied beginning in the 12th century, around the
time that the Khmer Empire was ruled from Angkor, in present
day Cambodia. The name comes from linga (symbol of Shiva)
and pura (city) and refers to the presence of the Lingaparvata,
which continued to be sacred long after the power of Khmer
Empire had shifted to Angkor. The city was focused on the
temple of Nang Sida.
The remains of Lingapura are in the area known as Hong Nang
Sida. Until research in the Champasak plain identified the site
as Lingapura, however, no one was even sure it ever really
existed.
 | | The standing remains of Lingapura. |
|