Phra That Na Dun

Stupa Park On The Site Where Dvaravati Era Relics Were Found In 1979 · Na Dun, Maha Sarakham

Phra That Na Dun is a large white stupa rising from a wide, landscaped park in the rice country of southern Maha Sarakham, in the heart of Isaan, Thailand's north-east. In 1979 digging on the site of an ancient moated settlement, known as Champasri or Nakhon Champasri, turned up a small metal reliquary casket shaped like a stupa, holding what were taken to be relics of the Buddha, and the find is usually dated to the Dvaravati period, roughly the seventh to eleventh centuries. The relics became a focus of devotion across the region, and the present stupa, modelled on the shape of the casket, was built to enshrine them, with a park around it that some call the Phutthamonthon of Isaan. Today it is a place of pilgrimage for Thai Buddhists and a quiet, shaded stop for travellers crossing Isaan by car. The provincial capital, a lively university town, lies about an hour to the north, and the province is known for its hand-woven silk and cotton.

Na Dun, Na Dun, Na Dun, Maha Sarakham, 44180, Thailand

NO OPENING TIME HERE WAS CHECKED. The typical pattern: the park and the stupa are open every day from early morning, around 6 or 7 am, until about 6 pm, with evening access on holy days and the annual celebration; the exhibition rooms keep shorter hours, roughly 8.30 or 9 am to 4 or 4.30 pm, and may close on some days or at lunch. There is no known weekly closing day for the park. The traps that ruin a visit are finding the exhibition shut in the late afternoon, arriving at midday in the hot season when the platform is too hot to walk barefoot, relying on a rural bus with no service back and driving back to Maha Sarakham after dark on unlit roads. Confirm current times before relying on them.

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