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Travelers visiting Laos and intrigued by exploring remote areas cannot overlook the ancient stone jars scattered across the fields in Phonsavan town, located in Xieng Khoang province. They will ponder: “Who placed them there, and for what purpose?”
Travelers visiting Laos and fond of exploring remote areas cannot miss the ancient stone jars scattered across the fields in Phonsavan town, located in Xieng Khoang province. They will wonder: “Who placed them there, and for what purpose?”
Jarryd Salem, a BBC journalist, rode his motorbike along the winding road to a town about 400 km northwest of the capital Vientiane to reach the Chum Fields, seeking answers to the questions above.
The mountains gradually receded into the background, revealing a vast expanse of fields resembling the wingspan of a flying crane. A buffalo herder, his sun-darkened skin pointing ahead, signaled that I was heading in the right direction. The road led me to the Chum Fields, one of the most enticing destinations, yet scarcely visited by tourists.
Many travelers conclude their journey after stopping in Vang Vieng—a hotspot for party-loving backpackers. However, this wasn’t my primary goal here, as I sought answers to a mystery spanning over 2500 years,” recounted Jarryd Salem.
Still relatively unfamiliar to most tourists, thousands of ancient stone jars dating back to the Iron Age dot the landscape across several hundred square kilometers around Phonsavan. Some jars stand as tall as 3 meters, are 1 meter wide, and weigh several tons. Human bones and numerous stone discs have also been found in the area.
The purpose of these stone jars and their creators remain shrouded in mystery. Based on the size of the jars and the human bones scattered nearby, some archaeologists speculate this could have been a burial site for an ancient civilization, during their migration along the trade route between the Mekong River and the Gulf of Tonkin.
There's a theory suggesting these stone jars were used as containers for human remains. Bodies would be placed inside the jars until decomposition, then relocated for cremation or other storage areas. After complete decomposition, whatever remains would be placed back into the jars.
This theory gains support from the traditional burial customs of royal families in Southeast Asian countries. Thai royal families often conduct the cremation process within a few months. The remains are regularly moved from one jar to another. They believe the soul of the deceased must undergo such gradual transformation to depart from earth and enter the spiritual realm.
On the other hand, locals have more intriguing theories. Some believe giants used these stone jars to ferment rice wine to celebrate victories over enemies. Others recount these stone jars as the giant's wine cellar living on Phonsavan mountain. However, the truth remains uncertain about this ancient mystery.
Most areas containing these ancient stone jars are restricted. Tourists can only visit 7 out of the total 60 sites, with Site 1 being the most accessible and popular, featuring around 300 stone jars and a natural limestone cave, making it a common and easily accessible tourist destination.
Across the fields are numerous carefully marked spots in red and white. Previously, Phonsavan was a target of US air raids during the war. Currently, the area still harbors around 80 million unexploded bombs, making exploring the jar fields even more challenging. Tourists need to exercise extreme caution and only stay in designated safe areas.
The damages and devastation from landmines are evident everywhere, with deep craters on the ground and numerous cracked rocks. Time and war have made the opportunity to uncover the mysteries here even more fragile.
Posted by: Tiến Lê Minh
Keywords: Mysteries of the Xieng Khoang jar fields
