Nan’s most famous Buddhist
temple, Wat Phumin is celebrated
for its exquisite murals that were
executed during the late 19th
century by a Thai Lü artist named
Thit Buaphan. The exterior of
the temple takes the form of
a cruciform bòht (chapel) that
was constructed in 1596 and
restored during the reign of Chao
Anantavorapitthidet (1867–74).
The ornate altar in the centre of
the bòht has four sides, with four
Sukhothai-style sitting Buddhas
facing in each direction.
Wat Phra That Chang Kham is
the second-most important temple
in the city after Wat Phra That
Chae Haeng. The founding date is
unknown, but the main wí·hăhn
(sanctuary), reconstructed in 1458,
has a huge seated Buddha image
and faint murals that have been
partially recovered.
The chedi behind the wí·hăhn is
thought to date to around the same
time as the temple was founded,
and features elephant supports
similar to those seen in Sukhothai
and Si Satchanalai.
Next to the chedi is a small,
undistinguished bòht from the
same era. Wat Chang Kham’s
current abbot tells an interesting
story involving the bòht and a
Buddha image that was once kept
inside. According to the abbot, in
1955 art historian AB Griswold
offered to purchase the 145cm-tall
Buddha inside the small bòht .
The image appeared to be a crude
Sukhothai-style walking Buddha
molded of plaster. After agreeing
to pay the abbot 25,000 thb for the
image, Griswold began removing
the image – but as he did it fell
and the plaster around the statue
broke away to reveal an original
Sukhothai Buddha of pure gold
underneath. Needless to say, the
abbot made Griswold give it back,
much to the latter’s chagrin. Did
Griswold suspect what lay beneath
the plaster? The abbot refuses to
say. The image is now kept behind
a glass partition in the hŏr đrai
(Tripitaka library) adjacent to the
wí·hăhn, the former the largest of
its type in Thailand.
Nan Province is mostly
mountainous, with many river
valleys cutting their way through
the peaks. The highest, most
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Feb 15 - Mar 15 , 2015
rugged mountains can be found
on the Laos border. Apart from the
rivers, there are many waterfalls
to see and there are even some
whitewater rapids you can raft
or kayak down. Large portions of
this province have been turned
into national parks, which all have
unique sights and activities. The
two main rivers in this province are
the Nan River and the Wa River.
Doi Phuka National Park is
located a couple of hours drive east
of Pua on the road to Bo Kluea.
The main activities in the park are
trekking and camping. There are
several lookouts inside the area
and anyone with a car or motorbike
can easily get to these spots for
some fantastic views. Another
main attraction which draws a lot
of Thai tourists is the flowering of
the Chom Poo Doi Phuka flower
which blooms in December to early
January. This flower is found only
in Nan Province.
Silaphet Waterfall is found close
to Pua and anyone driving to Pua
from Nan City will spot the signs
pointing towards it quite easily.
One can only access the waterfall
in the cold and hot seasons as the
path is flooded in the rainy season.
The path to the waterfall is a few
kilometres long. At the base of
the path there are some riverside
restaurants which serve some good
local cuisine.
Mae Charim National Park is
found 250 kilometres east of Nan,
about 100 kilometres from the Laos
border. The main activity of this
park is whitewater rafting. The
Wa River runs through the park
and several tour agencies in the
area run rafting trips to and from
the park. During the rainy season
the water is high and muddy. The
water level drops during the cold
and hot seasons which make up
the peak times for rafting in this
area. Mae Charim National Park
also has camping facilities and
restaurants which are open during
peak seasons.
If you’re feeling truly
adventurous then rent a tent and
spend the night at Doi Wow.
The night sky is illuminated by
thousands of stars providing a very
romantic atmosphere and when
you wake up you are in the midst
of many beautiful flowers.