Virtual Tour

 

Lingapura

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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.