Wat Phra That Choeng Chum

Lao Style Chedi Raised Over An Older Khmer Laterite Prang, Beside Nong Han Lake · Sakon Nakhon, Sakon Nakhon

Wat Phra That Choeng Chum is the most revered temple of Sakon Nakhon, a royal temple in the heart of the town beside the great lake of Nong Han. Its centrepiece is a tall, square, white chedi in the Lao style, tapering in a lotus-bud curve to a gilded top, and by traditional account it was raised over an older Khmer structure of laterite, a prang from the centuries when this part of Isaan lay within the Khmer world; part of the older fabric can be seen at the base. Around it stand an ordination hall and a viharn with the seated Buddha image Luang Pho Ong Saen, much venerated by local people, plus cloisters, old boundary stones and a shady courtyard. A short walk away is the lakeshore, where Nong Han, one of the largest natural lakes in north-east Thailand, stretches to the horizon; it is a different lake from the Nong Han of Udon Thani's red lotus sea. Sakon Nakhon is also the heartland of the Isaan forest-monk tradition, of indigo-dyed cotton and of the wax castle processions at the end of Buddhist Lent.

Reuang Sawat Road, That Choeng Chum, Sakon Nakhon, Sakon Nakhon, 47000, Thailand

NO OPENING TIME HERE WAS CHECKED. The typical pattern: the temple grounds have been open every day from about 6 am to about 6 or 7 pm, free of charge, with the viharn open most of the day and the ordination hall often locked outside ceremonies; the chedi can be seen from the courtyard at any time the gates are open. Wat Pa Sutthawat's museum and the national park keep their own hours; check. The traps are arriving in shorts or a sleeveless top at a royal temple, confusing this Nong Han with Udon Thani's red lotus lake, turning up for the wax castle festival without a room, and driving to the Phu Phan palace gardens on a day they are closed. Confirm current times before relying on them.

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