This one-of-a-kind stupa commemorates Ong Keo, one of Laos’ first revolutionaries to fight against the French colonialists. He played a major role in encouraging Salavan residents to fight for independence, at a time when they were frightened and forced into labor. Though the date remains elusive, Salavan’s elders place the local hero’s death in the late 1960s or early 1970s. To honor Ong Keo, villagers around Salavan Town decided to build a stupa during the war.
They did so in a most unusual way. They constructed a short, square stone wall, but began placing rocks inside as they lacked cement. The pile turned into a pyramid, and locals returned over the years to place rocks on the ad-hoc stupa to make merit while paying respects to Ong Keo.
Location: The stupa is located in Salavan Town’s Northeast next to the hospital.
