carvings of nagas or serpent deities, decorating the prow of a royal funeral barge at wat xieng thong temple, laos

architectural architecture art artwork barge buddha buddhism buddhist carving centuries city coronations culturally culture deities divine funerary golden heritage hill historical historically important kings laos laotian located luang mekong monastery monument mythological peninsula prabang prow race ratsavoravihanh religious representation royal serpent setthathilat setthathirath significant site snake style supernatural temple thong tip tree unesco vat volavihan wat world xieng years