The
Plain of Jars is a mysterious ancient site that has hidden its secrets with
time, but also bears the scars of a more recent ‘secret.’ Shrouded in mystery and myth, this bizarre
collection of ancient megalithic stone jars is scattered in the hundreds across
a war-scarred countryside in northern Laos's Xieng Khuang province.
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| One of the groups of stone jars and grave markers at Site 1. |
Little
is known about the civilization that created these giant jars, but archeologist
estimate that they date from the Southeast Asian iron age (500 BC – 200 AD). It’s believed the jar sites lie on what may
have been an ancient trade route that linked the iron ore in the area to the salt
supplies in the northeast.
The unusual
area known as the Plain of Jars includes around 2,500 giant stone jars, all
clustered into 90 known sites. The
stones are mostly carved from sandstone, but others are also made from much
harder granite and limestone. Some of
the stones measure up to three meters tall and weigh up to ten tons. All of the stones where dragged, most likely
by elephants, from quarries 10 km away.
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| Jars broken from the blast of bombs exploding nearby. |
Unfortunately,
the original purpose of the jars is still an unsolved archaeological mystery. Today they litter the hillsides around
Phonsavan, collecting rainwater and cobwebs, and refuse to give up their
secrets. There are of course a few
theories trying to explain their puzzling purpose.
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| Largest cup found (center), known as the kings cup, is 3 meters tall. |
According
to local legend, the jars were created by a race of giants, whose king, Khun
Jeuam, needed somewhere to ferment and store his rice wine. The wine was then consumed
at a great feast to celebrate a military victory thousands of years ago.
The prominent
archeological theory though has nothing to do with fermenting wine, but with distilling
bodies. It is thought that the bodies of
some deceased were put in the vessels to distill, or decompose, before being
cremated and buried. A practice still
used in recent times by the royalty of Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand. It is thought that in doing so, the souls of
the dead would have a chance to make the transition from the body to the
spiritual world.
This
theory becomes more complex with the finding of marked graves around the jar
sites that contained pottery, iron and bronze objects, and glass beads, and noncremated
bodies. Adding further to the complexity
is the finding that some of the remains inside the jars belonged to more than
one person, showed signs of cremation, and mostly belonged to adolescents.
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| Evidence shows that this cave was once used as a cremetorium. |
The
evidence would suggest that not everybody was cremated, but those that were ended
up back inside the jars. The use of the
jars may also have changed over time. Archeologist
still don’t have enough information to fully explain the different findings and
acquiring more information is hard due to evidence of another secret that the
area still shows.
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| Cluster bomb. One of the 127 undetonated bombs found at Site 1 alone. |
Dotted
over the countryside are thousands of bomb craters and what is even more
unnerving is the thousands of tons of unexploded bombs, land mines, and other military
ordnance that liter the area unseen. A
tour of the jars sites shows proof of the so-called ‘Secret War,’ which was
launched by the US in the 1960s and '70s and turned Laos into the most bombed
country in history.
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| A few of the many bomb craters that dot the landscape of eastern Loas. |
From
1964 to 1973 the U.S. was supporting the Royal Lao Government against the
Pathet Lao communist forces and trying to also prohibit traffic along the Ho
Chi Minh trail. Due to this, over 2
million tons of ordinance was dropped on Laos during 580,000 bombing missions (a planeload of bombs every eight minutes, 24 hours a day, for nine
years); more than all the bombs dropped on Europe during World War II. In result of this, about 30 per cent of the
bombs dumped on Laos failed to explode, leaving countless unexploded ordnance
(UXO) scattered throughout the country. These
UXO’s have killed around 50,000 civilians since the end of the war and continue
to kill about 50 more annually today.
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| Stay safe! The white indicates the safe side, whereas the red indicates an area that has not yet been fully cleared. |
Since
1994, the British Mines Advisory Group (MAG) has been conducting campaigns to
clear the countryside of the UXOs and educate locals about the dangers of
tampering with suspicious medal objects.
Of the 90 known jar sites, only seven have been partially cleared and are
safe to visit. These sites have their
access paths marked by very small red and white MAG marker stones. The white indicates the safe side, whereas
the red indicates an area that has not yet been fully cleared.
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| Locations of the 7 safe Plain of Jars sites and quarry. |
The
three jar sites that are closest to Phonsavan are Sites 1, 2, and 3, while
there are four more (16, 23, 25, and 52) that are further afoot. The cost to visit the site is 15,000
LAK/1.65 USD, with a 3000 LAK/0.33 USD parking fee.
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| Site map for Site 1. |
Of the
three that are close, Site 1 is the closest, largest, most studied, and most
visited. Just outside of the gate there
is also a visitor center and museum, that is free to enter, with information
about the Plain of Jars sites. This site
has multiple groups of jars and grave markers, including the largest jar
known. There is also a cave that,
although now serves as a Buddhist shrine, is believed to have once served as a crematorium. Throughout the site you will also see
multiple craters and trenches from the war.
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| Site map for Sites 2 and 3. |
Site 2
and 3 are a little further south of Site 1, but can be included as a day
trip. These two sites are much smaller
in size and have fewer jars, but are in a much more scenic area. For all three sites there is a bit of walking
and the trails could possibly be slightly slippery if it rains, so be
prepared.
Getting to Phonsavan, Loas
Plane:
Phonsavan has a domestic airport
(Code: XKH), located about 5km south of town. Lao airlines operate several flights each week
between Vientiane/Luang Prabang and Phonsavan.
Bus:
There are daily buses and minivans to Phonsavan from Vang
Vieng, Luang Prabang, and Vientiane. It
should be noted that the roads are very windy on the way to Phonsavan, so if
you are susceptible to car sickness make sure you take motion sickness meds.
From Vientiane: You can take a local or VIP bus from the
northern bus terminal. The trip takes about 10-12 hours and costs 130,000 LAK/14.34
USD.
From Luang Prabang: Local buses leave from the southern
bus terminal in Luang Prabang. The
journey takes about 8 hours and costs 95,000 LAK/10.48 USD.
From Vang Vieng: Local buses leave from the main bus
terminal Vang Vieng. The journey takes
about 7-8 hours and costs 100,000 LAK/11.03 USD.
Leaving
Phonsavan can be a little confusing as there are five bus stations. Some destinations may only be served by one
station, while others could be served by multiple. The best option to circumvent this is to
speak with your hotel about which station to use or to book a ticket through
them. If you book a ticket through your
hotel you will pay a small commission, but the price will include a tuk tuk ride
to your bus station. You can also use 12Go to purchase your tickets online.
Powered by 12Go system
Getting Around
The
main strip of Phonsavan is easy to get around on foot, but there are also tuk
tuks around to be hired. There are three
ways to see the Plain of Jars: group tour, individual tour, or do it
yourself. There are many tour agencies
in town that do group tours of the sites, but they will only go if they have
enough people. Individual tours are a
bit more expensive, but you will have the guide to yourself and you know it won’t
get cancelled. Both of these options
usually include one to three of the jar sites and one of the other minor
attractions or villages in the area.
If you
are a long-time reader of my blog then you know the third option, do it
yourself, is my preferred choice. Not
only is this the cheapest option, but it also allows you to spend as much time
as you want at each place and stop along the way if you see something you
like.
If you
are only going to Site 1 you can walk if you are up to it. It is only about 4 km through the
countryside, about a 45-minute walk. But
if you plan to see more that that you should rent a bike or motorcycle in
town. A bike will cost around 20,000 LAK/2.22
USD and a motorcycle around 80,000 LAK/8.90 USD
Where to Stay
There
are a number of hotels and guesthouses throughout Phonsavan that accommodate
any budget. When booking my hotels, I
always use Agoda to find the best hotel in my location and price range.
What did you think of the Plain of Jars?
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