Phra Mahathat Chedi Khosapanyo Si Phanom

Phra Mahathat Chedi Khosapanyo Si Phanom is the centrepiece of Wat Khosamangkhlaram, a 98-rai temple complex at Ban Kok Sawang in Pla Pak district — about 40 km inland from Nakhon Phanom town, not on the Mekong riverfront despite what some older write-ups claim. The chedi itself stands roughly 59 metres tall, built in a stepped, mountain-like form modelled on the golden mount at Wat Saket in Bangkok, and is now the largest chedi anywhere in the province.

It’s dedicated to Luang Pu Kham Phan Khosapanyo, a meditation monk who served as abbot of nearby Phra That Mahachai for decades and died in November 2003 at 88 — the relics inside are his. Construction of this chedi began around 2014, funded largely by devotee donations, and the six levels are all open to climb, each landing offering a slightly wider view over the surrounding rice country as you go up. A small museum inside covers the temple’s history and Luang Pu Kham Phan’s life, and the interior and outer galleries carry Ramakien murals — scenes from the Thai retelling of the Ramayana — rather than the Buddha’s biography you’d find at many other Isan temples.

Insider Tip: Don’t plan this as a quick stop between Nakhon Phanom’s riverside sights — the 40 km drive out to Pla Pak takes 45 minutes to an hour each way, so treat it as its own half-day trip or combine it with other Pla Pak-district temples rather than squeezing it into a Mekong-promenade itinerary.

The temple grounds stay genuinely calm outside of merit-making days — this is a working monastery rather than a coach-tour stop, and weekday mornings see mostly local devotees rather than crowds. Modest dress (shoulders and knees covered) is expected, and shoes come off before entering the chedi’s interior levels.

Watch out: There’s no reliable public transport out to Pla Pak from Nakhon Phanom town — songthaews serve the district but not on a predictable tourist-friendly schedule, so a car, motorbike or arranged driver is the realistic way to visit.

For the monk’s own home temple in the same district, Phra That Mahachai is a short drive away, and if you want the province’s most famous riverside chedi for comparison, Phra That Phanom is about 70 km south on the Mekong itself.