Wat Phra Phutthabat Yasothon

Wat Phra Phutthabat Yasothon, on raised sandy ground beside the Mun River in Maha Chana Chai district, Yasothon, is built around a replica Buddha footprint — but its 3.7-metre white jade Buddha image, cited as the largest of its kind in Thailand, is what most visitors end up talking about. The jade figure sits inside a white ordination hall with a contrasting blue roof, its lap measuring 2.31 metres across.

Temple tradition credits a monk named Phra Maha Uttama Panya with bringing the footprint replica, a stone Naga Pose Buddha image, and an inscribed stone pillar to the site from Ayutthaya, giving the temple its name and its pilgrimage status. The footprint itself sits in its own octagonal shelter separate from the main jade Buddha hall, and the compound received formal royal ecclesiastical recognition in 1978. Key Facts:

• Entry: Free, daily 06:00-19:00
• Main draw: 3.7-metre white jade Buddha image, Thailand’s largest
• Also on site: Replica Buddha footprint, Naga Pose stone Buddha image
• Location: Ban Nong Yang, Hua Mueang subdistrict, about 6 km from Maha Chana Chai district office
• Setting: Sandy ground beside the Mun River

Insider Tip: Head straight to the ordination hall for the jade Buddha before the footprint shrine — it’s the more visually striking sight and easy to underestimate if you go in expecting only a footprint temple.

The grounds also hold a three-tiered chedi built to mark King Bhumibol’s fiftieth year on the throne, along with monk’s quarters, pavilions, and a library building added as the temple expanded through the 1980s. Watch out: signage is mostly in Thai only, so the footprint’s history is easy to miss without a guide or some reading beforehand.

Dress modestly and remove your shoes before entering the ordination hall. If you’re covering Yasothon’s temple circuit, pair this stop with Wat Maha That Yasothon in town or Phra That Kong Khao Noi, the province’s distinctive small brick chedi, both an easy drive away.