Lao wats present a layered religious landscape in which Theravāda forms and animistic sensibilities coexist in a single sacred space. Within the temple compound, one often finds small spirit houses or shrines dedicated to local guardian beings, village spirits, or land spirits, set near entrances, corners, or significant natural features. These structures receive offerings such as food, water, flowers, incense, and other simple gifts, acknowledging the presence and agency of non-Buddhist entities alongside the Buddha and the monastic community. In some cases, separate shrines for powerful local spirits that predate the monastery are ritually tied to the wat, so that the temple becomes the focal point not only of Buddhist merit-making but also of the older spirit cults. This dual presence of Buddha images and spirit altars reveals a religious imagination that does not sharply divide doctrinal Buddhism from local cosmologies, but allows them to inform one another in practice.

Architecturally and decoratively, animistic symbolism is woven into the very fabric of the wat. Naga serpents, understood both as protectors of the Buddha’s teaching and as ancient water and land spirits, typically flank stairways and entrances or appear along rooflines, marking thresholds as zones of spiritual protection. Guardian figures such as lions or giant beings stand at gateways to ward off harmful forces, while wall paintings and carvings may depict local spirits and mythological beings in the same visual field as Buddhist narratives. Sacred trees, especially bodhi or large banyan trees, are treated as abodes of spirits, wrapped with cloth and provided with small altars or offerings at their roots. In this way, natural features within the monastery grounds become part of a living network of spiritual relationships, rather than mere background scenery.

Ritual life in these temples further illustrates the integration of animistic elements. Spaces within or near the main halls are reserved for ceremonies that address the well‑being of spirits and humans together, such as baci or soul‑calling rites that employ white strings and ritual trays to recall and bind the vital essence. Equipment for such rites, including strings and offering trays, is often stored and displayed in the same compound that houses canonical Buddhist texts and images. Villagers may first approach a spirit altar to seek protection, healing, or good fortune, and then proceed to the main Buddha image to make merit, with monks sometimes overseeing or blessing both sets of practices. The result is a religious environment in which canonical Theravāda structures—ordination halls, stupas, and principal Buddha images—are surrounded and complemented by spirit houses, sacred trees, and ritual spaces that give concrete form to the enduring presence of local spirits.