Pra-that Sri-song-rug ( Stupa of Love from the Two Nations ), Loei, Thailand
The Stupa.
Huang River, Thai-Laos border, Dan Sai district, Loei province, Thailand ************************************ One of the best period which Thailand ( Ayutthaya ) and Laos ( Lan Xang)
had the closest relationship, was in the reign of King Chag-kra-pat of Ayutthaya and King Sai-Set-tha-ti-raj of Lan Xang.
In 1560 , due to the rising in power of King Bu-re-nong (Bayinnang) of Burma,
King Sai-Set-tha-ti-raj moved his capital from Laung Prabang to Vientiane.
He also established a closed friendship relation with King Chag-kra-pat.
In the same year, the two kings started to build Pra-that Sri-song-rug
which is now located on the top of a hill, in Dan-Sai district, Loei province,
of Thailand, about 20 miles from Thai-Laos border, 350 miles north of Bangkok.
It took 3 years to complete, then the 2 kings met for a joyful celebration of the close relationship.
The stupa is about 20 meters in height and 9 meters in width at base.
There is a stone inscription which described how the stupa was built and how the 2 kings met and promised to each others for a long last friendship and happiness of the 2 nations.
Around the hill, there are 3 rice fields, names :
1" Na Thai " means the rice field of Thai Ayutthaya when they built the stupa.
2." Na Vieng" means the rice field of Thai Vientiane .
3. " Na Pa-Kao" means the rice field of Sangka ( Buddhist monks) and followers.
In 1564 King Bu-re-nong of Burma captured Vientiane and took all of the Lao King' s wives to Burma. The Lao king escaped to out side of Vientiane and returned when the Burmese left.
The Lao King knew that the Ayutthya king and queen had a very beutiful and brave daughter by the name of Thao-Thep-ka-sat-tee.The Lao king begged the Ayutthya king ( whom he called an uncle ) for the princess to be his queen. The princess was sick so the Thai king gave another daughter from a consort .However the Lao king did not want and insisted for the princess only. So when the princess recovered from sickness ,the Thai king then granted and gave the princess to the Lao king. But while on her way to Vientiane, she was kidnapped to be a consort of King Bu-re-nong ,Burma.
In 1569 both Ayutthaya and Lan Xang fell to the Burmese.
( The princess and her baby were killed by Nun-ta-bu-reng when he learnt that " Maha Upparaja", the Burmese viceroy was killed in action on elephant by King Na-re-soun of Ayutthaya in 1593 )
Ayutthaya was deliberated in 1584 and Lan Xang was deliberated in 1595.
In 1904 France annexed Dan-Sai district of Siam with Laos.Then took the original stone inscription to Vientiane ( Now it was shattered in 8 pieces and were kept at Hor Pra Kaew museum,Vientiane, Laos )

The replica of the Stone Inscription at the Stupa
In 1906 the people of Dan-Sai district replicated the stone inscription and placed at the old location near the stupa until today.
In 1907 France returned Dan-Sai district to Thailand together with Trat province and several islands in the gulf, but Thailand had to cede Pra-ta-bong, Siam-rath (Siem Reap ), and Sri So-pon to Cambodia in exchange.
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