Wat Phrathat Beng Sakat

The stupa at Wat Phrathat Beng Sakat has stood in Pua district, Nan, since 1283 CE — over 700 years — and is registered as a national ancient monument. Entry is free, daily from 09:00 to 17:00.

Local history credits the ruler Phya Phukha with completing the stupa in that year. As the story goes, a glow of light appeared from the top of the newly finished structure, and the temple took its name — Beng Sakat — from that event. The stupa is said to enclose Buddha relics, which is why the site draws pilgrims from around the district rather than just sightseers passing through Pua.

The viharn itself is built in a low, squat Tai Lue folk style rather than the taller, more ornate central-Thai temple roofline — a two-tier, two-layer roof covered in wooden shingles cut from teak, typical of vernacular temple building in this part of Nan. Pua and neighbouring Tha Wang Pha are home to Nan’s Tai Lue communities, descendants of settlers who migrated south from Sipsong Panna, in what’s now southern Yunnan, generations ago, bringing this distinct roofline and weaving traditions with them — the same building style shows up at Wat Nong Bua, Nan’s best-known Tai Lue temple, a couple of districts away. It’s a quieter, more weathered building than Nan town’s more famous temples, and that’s largely the appeal: an active local monastery rather than a restored showpiece.

Insider Tip: Combine the visit with Doi Phu Kha National Park, a short drive further into Pua district — most visitors are already heading that way and the temple is an easy stop en route.

Dress modestly and remove your shoes before entering the viharn. The temple sits in Woranakhon subdistrict, Pua district, reachable by car or motorbike from Nan town in under an hour; pair it with Wat Ton Laeng, another Pua-district temple nearby.