This beautiful Temple is 80 kilometers south of Nakhon Phanom and it is said that every Buddhist should visit here at least once in their lifetime. We have visited twice now and it really is a special place. The Chedi is the main reason as it contains the chest bone of the Lord Buddha.
So this makes Wat Phra That Phanom one of the most sacred Temples in Thailand and every year there is a week long festival with many thousands making the pilgrimage.
This beautiful place is full of history and was erected over 2500 years ago; it has been renovated quite a few times over the years.
Archaeologists date the earliest structures to between the sixth and tenth centuries AD, with the present form of the temple being established by the Lao kings of Vientiane in the fifteenth or sixteenth century. The centerpiece of the temple is a 57 meter tall Chedi which is decorated with 110 kilograms of gold!
On August 11, 1975 the entire pagoda collapsed after many days of rain. The Thai public donated the money to rebuild the pagoda to its former glory. People have also placed many valuable items in the main body of the pagoda which is supported by four square bases 12m wide. The spire is gold and weighs 110kg. The pagoda is 57m high.
In the rainy season for about three months during July, August and September (depending on the lunar months), the monks are not allowed to sleep outside their temple and cannot defrock. Wat Phra That Phanom is then extremely busy.
Every morning at dawn, the monks go out to collect food. People fill the monks bowl with rice, soft drinks, cakes and so on. This is called "TAKBAT” and it is very impressive in That Phanom with a row of hundreds of monks.
Wat Phra That Phanom really is something special to see and very easy to spend many hours in here. If you ever visit here make sure you also go into the Art and Culture Centre plus the small Museum area that is set over 2 floors with the Temple grounds.