Phra That Kham Kaen

Phra That Kham Kaen is a 10-metre brick chedi at Wat Chetiyaphum in Ban Kham, Nam Phong district, about 30 km north of Khon Kaen city. It’s one of the province’s most important religious landmarks: a square-based chedi rising from an inverted-lotus foundation to a gilded, tiered-umbrella spire. Entry is free, and the temple is generally open through daylight hours, roughly 08:00 to 17:00.

Local legend explains why the chedi stands here. According to the story, the ruler of Mori — a kingdom in what’s now Cambodia — sent nine monks to carry a portion of the Buddha’s relics north to be enshrined at Phra That Phanom. On the way, the group rested for the night beside a large tamarind tree that had died down to a bare trunk. By the time they reached Phra That Phanom the next day, the enshrinement there was already complete, so they turned back to carry the relics home instead. Passing the same tamarind tree again, they found the dead trunk had sprouted fresh green leaves overnight. Taking it as a sign, the group built a chedi over the tree instead, enshrining the relics and Buddha images inside — and the chedi took its name, Kham Kaen (“tamarind heartwood”), from the revived tree at its centre. It’s a folk story rather than a documented account, and versions of the tale vary in the retelling.

The chedi’s body is worked in a lotus-bud form with twelve wooden recesses rising to the spire. On the east side stands Phra That Sim, the temple’s old ordination hall, built in Lan Xang style with carved wooden gables, a toothlike ridge along the roofline, and a honeycomb-pattern facade. Among the gable carvings is an unusual mural of a policeman standing guard with a rifle, painted by villagers rather than temple artisans. The Fine Arts Department has restored the complex over the years, repainting the chedi and extending the surrounding enclosure walls.

Insider Tip: The carved gables and mural details on Phra That Sim are easy to miss if you only photograph the main chedi — walk the full temple grounds rather than stopping at the entrance.

Watch out: modest dress applies throughout the grounds, as at any working wat — cover shoulders and knees, and be ready to remove your shoes before entering any building.

Getting there means driving north from Khon Kaen city toward Nam Phong district. There’s no direct public transport to Ban Kham, so car or motorbike is the practical option for the roughly 30 km trip.

Nam Phong National Park and King Cobra Village, both in the same district, are easy to combine with a visit to the chedi.