Patuxai, literally meaning Victory Gate or Gate of Triumph, formerly the Anousavary or Anosavari Monument (known by the French as Monument Aux Morts) is a war monument in the centre of Vientiane, erected between 1957 and 1968, during a turbulent period Lao history. It was built when Laos was a constitutional monarchy and was originally known simply as the Anousavali (memory), dedicated memory of the Laotian soldiers who died during WWII and the independence war from France in 1949.
The monument was built using American funds and cement actually intended to build a new airport. Designed by the Laotian architect Tham Sayasthsena, typically Laotian in design, is decorated with mythological creatures such as the kinnari (half-female, half-bird). In May 1975, the communist Pathet Lao overthrew the coalition government and seized power, ending the ancient monarchy and installing a half-Vietnamese prime minister. They renamed the monument Patuxai in honor of their own victory.
The monument has five towers that represent the five principles of coexistence among nations of the world. They are also representative of the five Buddhist principles of "thoughtful amiability, flexibility, honesty, honor and prosperity". The monument, as built, has gateways on four sides oriented towards the four cardinal directions. In front of each gate, there is a pond. The four ponds represent the open section of a lotus flower (representing reverence of Laotians to the brave warriors of the nation).
About the stamps
The stamp is part of the series Insectivorous Plants, issued on August 24, 1995:
• Nepenthes villosa (90 LAK) - It's on the postcard 2737
• Dionaea muscipula (100 LAK)
• Sarracenia flava (350 LAK)
• Sarracenia purpurea (450 LAK)
• Nepenthes ampullaria (500 LAK)
The last stamp is one of the five overprinted on March 13, 2015, with the face value 14.000 LAK. Even more interesting is the fact that the emblem depicted on the stamp was changed in 1991, so in 2015 it wasn't anymore the official emblem.
References
Patuxai - Wikipedia
Sender: Pumipat
Sent from Vientiane (Vientiane Prefecture / Laos), on 22.08.2016
Photo: Jatuporn Rutnin
No comments:
Post a Comment