Thailand - Nakhon Phanom
Photo Gallery of Nakhon Phanom in Thailand.
Nakhon Phanom is one of the north-eastern provinces (Isan) of Thailand with a lot of
green and is in the far northeast corner of Isan, along the Mekong river. It's situated on the border of Laos
like other north-eastern provinces, Nong Khai, Ubon Ratchathani and Mukdahan.
Nakhon Phanom is about 740 kilometers northeast of Bangkok, and the name Nakhon Phanom means "city of mountains" given by King Rama I, although the province is mostly plain.
Not so a big scale but they trade relation with Ta Kaek of Laos.
I heard that a friendship bridge like Nong Khai and Mukdahan in the north east is going to be built soon as of 2008. Nakhon
Phanom was well known during the days of Vietnam war, serving the American
Forces of the 56th Air Commando Wing.
In Nakhon Phanom, the most sacred and ancient religious monument of the Northeast, Phra That Phanom, is located. It's venerated by both Thais and Laotians. I visited there once some years ago and visited again in 2008. It became even more beautiful gloriously.
The famous festival called "Lhai Rhuahfai" is held around the end of October or the beginning of November on a full moon day. This festival celebrates the Lord Buddha. People enjoy the boat race called "Dragon Boat race" on the Maekhong river and the parade of a lot of boats made from bamboo decorated with hundreds of lights.
I've never see the race and the parade but I guess it's like the same as Loy Krathong Festival which is held every place in Thailand in the same season.
Nakhon Phanom is one of the north-eastern provinces (Isan) of Thailand with a lot of
green and is in the far northeast corner of Isan, along the Mekong river. It's situated on the border of Laos
like other north-eastern provinces, Nong Khai, Ubon Ratchathani and Mukdahan. Nakhon Phanom is about 740 kilometers northeast of Bangkok, and the name Nakhon Phanom means "city of mountains" given by King Rama I, although the province is mostly plain.
Not so a big scale but they trade relation with Ta Kaek of Laos.
I heard that a friendship bridge like Nong Khai and Mukdahan in the north east is going to be built soon as of 2008. Nakhon
Phanom was well known during the days of Vietnam war, serving the American
Forces of the 56th Air Commando Wing.In Nakhon Phanom, the most sacred and ancient religious monument of the Northeast, Phra That Phanom, is located. It's venerated by both Thais and Laotians. I visited there once some years ago and visited again in 2008. It became even more beautiful gloriously.
The famous festival called "Lhai Rhuahfai" is held around the end of October or the beginning of November on a full moon day. This festival celebrates the Lord Buddha. People enjoy the boat race called "Dragon Boat race" on the Maekhong river and the parade of a lot of boats made from bamboo decorated with hundreds of lights.
I've never see the race and the parade but I guess it's like the same as Loy Krathong Festival which is held every place in Thailand in the same season.
[Nakhon Phanom] Phra That Phanom |
|||
Phra That Phanom, the famous and glorious temple with a
huge chedi in Nakhon Phanom. It is about fifty kilometers from the town and is the most important
religious temple in the northeast of Thailand.No ones knows exactly, however, according to archaeologists, it is about 1,500 years old or built in fifteenth to sixteenth century. The beautiful chedi is fifty-two meters high and it has the Lord Buddha's bones inside. The top of it is decorated with gold weighing 110 kilograms. 
Almost everyone in Thailand knows this; the chedi was suddenly broken down with a roar in many days of heavy rains on 11th, Aug. in 1975. (It looks very scary !) The current chedi was re-built in 1979. By the way, I visited this temple a few years ago. Compared to that time, the temple became even more beautiful. (The pictures of those days are left only a few. See the pics right.) |
|||
The beautiful chedi, 52 meters high. |
|
|
|
| The entrance 1 (The scenery of the entrance.) |
The entrance 2 (A lion ? welcoming visitors around the entrance.) |
||
|
|
||
| Around the top (The top of the chedi is very beautifully decorated with gold.) |
Next to the chedi (A building next to the chedi.) |
||
|
|
|
|
| A stone enshrined (A stone in front of the huge chedi. It looks like it has a history.) |
Walls (The chedi is surrounded by the beautifully decorated walls.) |
Around the chedi 1 (The scenery of the chedi.) |
Around the chedi 2 (A lot of people are praying in front of the chedi.) |
Phra That Phanom - Scenery of the site |
|||
|
|||
| Scenery of the site 1 | |||
|
|
|
|
| Scenery of the site 2 (People are praying at another side of the chedi.) |
Scenery of the site 3 (Small chedis surround the big chedi.) |
Scenery of the site 4 (A monk statue with an umbrella in the site.) |
Scenery of the site 5 (The site is surrounded by Buddha statues and columns like other temples in Thailand.) |
Phra That Phanom - Decorations |
|||
|
|||
| The front of the site (The front of the chedi is decorated like the picture above.) |
|||
|
|
Door decoration 1(The door to the site is beautifully carved with a Buddha image.) |
|
| A Buddha statue (A Buddha statue is enshrined in the site.) |
Buddha statues (A lot of Buddha statues are enshrined.) |
||
|
|
||
| Decorations of the walls (The walls surrounding the chedi are exquisitely decorated.) |
|||
|
|
|
|
| Door decoration 2 (Another gate to the site.) |
Door decoration 3 (Another gate to the site.) |
Boat (A boat with a dragon head is displayed.) |
Outside of the walls (A scenery outside of the walls.) |
|
|
|
|
| Big gongs (There are big gongs. Hit three times then your good deeds will reach to the heaven.) |
Outside of the temple 1 (A big honeycomb is up in the tree.) |
Outside of the temple 2 (The scenery up to the sky, outside of the temple.) |
|
Home
General Info
Photos (Thailand)
Column
Links