Xiangkhouang Province
There are three distinct types of [[Wat|temple]] construction in Laos depending on the region and the age of the temple. The [[Luang Prabang]] style of temple is best exemplified by [[Wat Xieng Thong]], which shows a low sweeping tiered roof. The [[Vientiane]] style of temple is characterized by an open [[veranda]] and overhanging tiered roof which have symbolic meaning as levels of [[Buddhist cosmology]], and are crowned by elaborately carved [[Nāga|naga]] at the peak of each roof level. Lastly the [[Xiangkhouang Province|Xieng Khouang]] style is the rarest, due to the extent of fighting which took place in the region during the [[Laos Civil War|Lao Civil War]]. [[Xiangkhouang Province|Xieng Khouang]] style temples are similar to those in [[Luang Prabang]] but were often wider and built upon a raised platform with less ornamentation than the other styles.