Vat Phou, Laos Royalty-Free Stock Photography

Vat Phou (or Vat Phu Lao: temple-mountain) is a ruined Khmer Hindu temple complex in southern Laos and one of the oldest places of worship in Southeast Asia. It is at the base of mount Phou Khao, some 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) from the Mekong in Champasak province.There was a sanctuary on the site, centred on a sacred spring and an offering place for a mighty tutelary sprit dating back to pre-historic times. The first megalithic stone structures had been built probably as early as the second century BCE, consisting of two stone cells, a carving of a crocodile, serpent stairs, and several offering platforms One of the first pre-Angkor brick buildings onsite was erected in the early 7th century and became the focus of all consequent building activities .Most of the other surviving buildings date from the Angkor period, in the 11th—13th centuries.