Ancient temple on the top of cliff

Wat Phu Asa in Laos is a ruined Buddhist monastery located on the top of a sandstone hill close to Ban Kiet Ngong in Phatumphong (Phia Fai) District. It was built during the 19th century in an unusual shape probably inspired by Indian models. The sim is surrounded by 108 cylindrical stupas made of slabs without mortar. The origin of Wat Phu Asa is still a mystery. Early scholars thought it was a Khmer monument, but one legend says that jewels sent by the Kha people to adorn a palace being built by Prince Kammatha in Wat Phu were buried here for safe keeping. When the Kha learned that the prince had died and the palace would not be finished, the Kha built a citadel here to protect the buried jewels. Another legend tells of a rebel Kha prince named Asa who built the structure, and indeed the Annals of the Kingdom of Champassak tell of a monk named Asa coming from Loublaotaoboun (Salaphatburi Province) to build these structures in 1817, supporting this story. Revolts in 1819 by the Kha people, led by a chief named Asa, set the cities of Champassak, Attapeu and Saravane on fire. Asa was eventually seized by the king of Champassak and handed to Siamese authorities.