Hin Mak Peng is a stone with similar shape to the ancient gold scales. The word Mak is southeastern language. There is a myth from the oldman that the first stone belonged to Luang Phrabang, the second stone belonged to Bangkok and third stone belonged to Vientiane. In the future, the king of the 3 cities would bring civilization to the place. Have you ever seen Hin Mak Peng? If you haven’t seen it yet, you can come to Wat Hin Mak Peng in Nong Khai Province. Wat Hin Mak Peng in Nong Khai Province was built by Ajaan Thate Desaransi, the famous master of the southeastern region. The temple was built to be a location for dharma practice for the monks, nuns and pilgrims. The temples’ atmosphere is quite shady and peaceful which is suitable for dharma practice. It is adjacent to the Mekong River. The temple contains many crucial venues such as Chedi Phiphitthaphan. The inside of the pagoda is a museum containing Luang Pu Thate Image, the eight necessities for a monk’s daily life, the neces...

Phra That Si Song Rak is located on the bank of the Barren River. Dan Sai District, Loei Province, was built during the reign of King Chai Chetthathirat in 1560 B.E. and construction was completed in 2106 B.E. Phra That Si Song Rak was built as the evidence of the mutual aid between Ayutthaya (In the reign of King Maha Chakraborty) and Krungsri Sattana Khanhut (now Vientiane, Laos). Both kings reigned in the same period when Burma was powerful, and invaded various territories to expand its power. Therefore, Somdej Phra Maha Chakraborty and Phra Chao Chai Chetthathirat agreed to join forces to fight against Burmese army, and they made an oath not to invade each other's land. And, in order to commemorate their alliance; therefore, they jointly built Phra That Si Song Rak to be the evidence at the middle between Nan River and Mekong River, which is the boundary of the two kingdoms. In addition, within the temple, there is a Buddha image in the posture of a Tibetan Naga prok; the head...

Wat Neramit Vipassana is located in Dan Sai District, Loei Province. The temple is situated high on a hill just a little away from Phra That Si Song Rak. The Ubosot and the chedi inside the temple are all built with laterite, and there is a large Ubosot decorated ornately according to the art of the central region, which is the largest in Thailand. This building was created by the imagination of the temple's monks and novices. There are beautiful paintings decorated around the area, and there is a replica of the Buddha image including a wax figure of Luang Por Phramahaphan Silavisuttho, who initiated the construction of the temple, and already passed away. The surrounding area is decorated with beautiful shady gardens and trees, and there is an important Buddhist tree, "Sala tree", the tree where the Buddha was born. These make this as a place where anyone who arrives at Dan Sai should not miss to visit and worship. Interesting things in Wat Neramit Vipassana 1. Ubosot of Wat ...

Wat Phothisomphon is a very important temple of Udon Thani province. The construction began in 1956 during the Rattanakosin period. His Majesty the King graciously gave royal permission to Wat Phothisomphon to be a royal monastery of the third class, common type, during the late of King Rama V Reign. Inside the temple, there are also many interesting places such as Phra Borom Thakudhamma Chedi, Phra Chedi Phithiphan, Sala Mongkhon Tham, etc.

For those who travel to Loei Province in winter, you may surely think of Chiang Khan, a chic market on the Mekong Riverside with a lot of tourists going there each year. However, if you want to experience the cold weather, see the sunrise and sleep in a tent, the place that definitely comes across your mind must be Phu Ruea National Park. Phu Ruea National Park covers the area of Phu Ruea District and Thali District in Loei Province. The reason why it is called Phu Ruea is because there is overhanging rock on the cliff that resembles the shape of a sail boat with the plain on top of the mountain comparable to the ship’s hull. The top of Phu Ruea is 1,365 meters above the Mean Sea Level. Tourists like to travel to Phu Ruea National Park in winter to experience the cold weather, make tents and do various activities within the park. Each year, a great number of tourists travel to Phu Ruea National Park. It is another place that attracts massive tourists. Moreover, the park has many tour...

Sattra Maha Sathan are the 7 places where Lord Buddha enjoyed his happiness after enlightenment for about 1 week at each place. The two widely-known duplicates of Sattra Maha Sathan are Wat Suthat Thepphawararam in Bangkok and Wat Chedi Chet Yot in Chiang Mai Province. However, talking about Nong Khai Province, many people may think of the stories of Naga, while many of you may think of the archeological site which is considered the one and only in the world. What is that place? Let’s find the answer.  Wat Phra That Bang Phuan in Nong Khai Province is another important temple with a long history which has provided spiritual attachment for the people of Nong Khai Province for a long time. It receives great attention from tourists who visit Nong Khai Province. The temple has many interesting things, such as Phra That Bang Phuan, the temple’s principal pagoda. Its construction did not clearly appear, but there are many existing legends about the events that mention this Phra That Bang Phu...

It is a temple that looks elegant both in form of construction, material used, and location. In Phu Ruea District, it would be very difficult to find a temple like this that can be as beautiful as Wat Somdet Phu Ruea Ming Mueang. With this temple being a monastery that Her Royal Highness Princess Srinagarindra gave the money to buy the land for the construction of this temple. It is located on a hill with beautiful views all around. There is a prominent Ubosot in the middle surrounded by four viharas, which every one of them is built with very beautiful patterns carved wood; both the wall and the wand, especially the gable, is even more beautiful because it is at the very front. In each viharn enshrines a beautiful Buddha image: Phra Ubosot enshrines Lord Buddha Phaisatchaya Guru Vaidunyaprapha Physician or Phra Kring Pawaret as the presiding monk. One of the Buddha images in the viharn is a reclining Buddha carved from the Mekong River jade stone from Myanmar. Today, for anyone who...

The Songkran Festival is a tradition that has been inherited for a long time and is well-known to both Thai and foreign tourists. Each area will have several activities, whether it is offering food to monks, sprinkling water on a Buddha image, pouring water on the hands of the elderly, building sand castles or taking sand to the temple. Alternatively, foam parties, human waves, and splashing water on boat rides are held with lots of fun, but they still keep the beautiful tradition. However, another important tradition for Buddhists in Nong Khai Province is Hae Phra Rop Mueang (Buddha Image Street Procession Festival) by inviting Luang Pho Pra Sai, the respectable sacred Buddha image of Nong Khai, to join the procession around the city. This is to allow people to closely sprinkle water on the Buddha image. It is water play that conserves the Isan culture, reflecting that the lifestyles of Nong Khai people are so connected to Buddhism that the link can not be broken. It is held on 13th-1...