Prathat Prasit

Prathat Prasit is a stupa in Na Wa subdistrict, Na Wa district — an inland part of western Nakhon Phanom province that borders Sakon Nakhon rather than the Mekong River. Entry to the temple grounds is free.

The site has two layers of history. An earlier stupa of uncertain date once stood here, covered in vines and left to deteriorate until Yao refugees fleeing conflict in the Lan Xang kingdom resettled the area in the late 16th century and restored it under King Setthathirat, giving it the name Prathat Prasit. That structure didn’t survive intact: in 1911, the abbot Phra Kru Prasit Suksakan built an entirely new stupa on the site, modelled loosely on Phra That Phanom but at a smaller scale — a 7.2-metre base, 24.5-metre circumference, and 24.52 metres tall. Construction wasn’t finished until 1963. The stupa holds 24 relics associated with Buddhist arahants, soil from a site regarded as sacred, and Buddha images recovered from the original ruined stupa, along with a replica Buddha footprint added in 1957.

Prathat Prasit is one of eight designated birthday-pagodas scattered across Nakhon Phanom province, each assigned to a day of the week in Thai zodiac tradition — this one belongs to people born on a Thursday, who travel here specifically to make merit. An annual fair runs the 12th to 15th day of the fourth lunar month, drawing larger crowds than an ordinary weekday visit. In March 2025, King Maha Vajiralongkorn granted the temple royal monastery status, a mark of recognition tied to his birthday that July.

Insider Tip: Visit on an ordinary weekday rather than during the fourth-month fair if you want the grounds to yourself — Thursday still draws a steady trickle of zodiac pilgrims, but nothing like festival crowds.

Watch out: This is an active temple, not a museum piece — cover shoulders and knees and remove shoes before entering any prayer hall.

The temple sits within Nakhon Phanom province alongside two of its sister birthday-pagodas, Phra That Phanom and Phra That Renu, both further east toward the Mekong side of the province. For the wider area, see the Nakhon Phanom hub. Bring water and a hat — shade is limited across the temple grounds by midday.