Bun Bang Fai Rocket Festival in Yasothon
Every year the people from Southeastern Issan gather in Yasothon Province for one of the best festivals in Thailand. Going to Bun Bang Fai Rocket Festival in Yasothon is a once in a lifetime experience. To symbolically seed the clouds and bring on the rainy season, people launch dozens of huge rockets into the sky. One rocket can weigh over 100 kilograms and fly for over five minutes.
In addition to the rockets, there are parties, a parade, food, cultural performances, and competitions.
The festival takes place on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the second weekend each May. Every part of the festival takes place in the center of Yasothon city, or in a park on the outskirts.
Day one of Rocket Festival in Yasothon is a Friday. People gather in the afternoon at Phaya Thaen Public Park (สวนสาธารณะพญาแถน). Near the giant toad museum there is a cultural performance with students from different districts performing traditional ...
Wat Klang Khlong Sra Bua (วัดกลางคลองสระบัว), often translated as “Monastery in the Middle of the Lotus Pond Canal,” is an active Theravada Buddhist temple of the Maha Nikaya sect located approximately 5 km northwest of Ayutthaya’s historic city island. Situated on the east bank of the ancient Khlong Sra Bua canal in the Thung Kaeo (Crystal Field) area, it forms part of Ayutthaya’s northern cluster of temples, a region rich in Ayutthaya Kingdom (1351–1767) heritage. The temple’s name reflects its central position along the canal, a vital waterway dug in the early Ayutthaya period to connect the royal palace to Khlong Chang, serving as a key transportation route for royal barges and trade.
Origins and Construction
The temple’s founding is rooted in the Ayutthaya era, though precise dates are elusive due to the destruction of records during the Burmese sack of Ayutthaya in 1767. Based on architectural analysis and historical maps, it likely dates to the mid- to late...
Wat Mai Chumpol (also known as Wat Mai Prachumpol or simply Wat Mai by locals) is a historic Buddhist temple affiliated with the Maha Nikaya sect, located on the east bank of the Pa Sak River in Nakhon Luang District, Ayutthaya Province, Thailand. It sits near the ancient Prasat Nakhon Luang ruins, forming part of a cluster of Ayutthaya-era sites that attract visitors seeking a quieter alternative to the more crowded historical parks in central Ayutthaya.
The temple’s origins trace back to the Ayutthaya Kingdom with construction estimated around 1610–1629. Local legends and historical accounts vary slightly: one tradition holds that it was built during the reign of King Song Tham (1610–1628) to accommodate the royal entourage during a river journey to worship the Buddha’s footprint at Phra Phutthabat in Saraburi Province, as the Pa Sak River served as a key travel route at the time.
The temple complex was significantly restored in 1893 during the reign of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V), reflecting ...
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These carvings mark the spread of Theravada Buddhism from Sri Lanka to Thailand during the decline of Khmer influence. Discovered in modern times (post-20th century) in Dong Si Mahasot, they reflect a shift from Mahayana to Theravada traditions, symbolizing the Buddha’s presence in an aniconic form.
The Khmer hospital temple (likely part of the Noen Phra or nearby ruins) is a laterite and sandstone structure typical of Khmer architecture. It was one of the 102 arogayasala (hospital temples) built by King Jayavarman VII (1181–1218) across the Khmer Empire to provide medical care and spiritual healing.
Constructed in the 12th–13th centuries, ...
