Nan

The Nan National Museum is in the original palace of the last two Feudal Lords of Nan. The building was originally constructed in 1903 by Phra Chao Suriyapnong Phalidet, the last but one Lord of Nan to replace his former wooden residence. After the death of the Chao Maha Brahma Surathada, the last Lord of Nan, his heirs donated this palace to the government in 1931 in order to be used as the provincial hall. The museum Th Pha Kong; admission 30B; 9AM-4PM Mon-Sat was inaugurated in 1973 after the new provincial hall building had been erected. Thanks to relatively recent renovations, it is one of Thailand's most up-to-date provincial museums, contrary to many of them, it also has English labels for many items on display.

The ground level is divided into six exhibition rooms with ethnological exhibits dealing with the various ethnic groups in the province, including the northern Thais, Thai Lü, Htin, Khamu, Mabri, Hmong and Mien. Silver work, textiles, folk utensils and tribal costumes can be found on display. Exhibits on Nan history, archeology, local architecture, royal regalia, weapons, ceramics and religious art are shown on the second floor, divided into two sections. The first section on the second floor is the main hall, which was previously used as the throne hall of the Feudal Lord. The second section consists of rooms in the north and south wings.The museum exhibits a wide collection of Buddha images which include some rare Lanna styles as well as the floppy-eared local styles. Usually made from wood, these standing images are in the 'calling for rain' posture with hands at the sides, pointing down and they show an obvious Luang Prabang influence. Also on display on the 2nd floor is a rare black in fact reddish-brown elephant tusk said to have been offered to a Nan king over 300 years ago by the Khün lord of Chiang Tung Kengtung. Held aloft by a wooden Garuda mythical bird sculpture, the tusk measures 97 cm long and 47 cm in circumference.Books on Thai art and archeology are sold in a building adjacent to the museum.

King of Nan’s Teak House

Built in 1866 with golden teak and reconstructed in 1941, this large house Th Mahaprom, opposite the backwards entrance of the Wat Phra That Chang Kham is now the residence of Chao Sompradhana Na Nan. It exhibits heritage antiques such as ancient weapons, war elephant ivory and photographs by King Rama V. Contact, the owner for visiting Tel. 0 5471 0605.

The Old Wall

Constructed in 1885 by Chao Anantavorarittidet, Nan’s ruler, the wall was built in place of an old log wall destroyed by flood in 1817. Remnants of the wall - around 400 m out of the original 3 600 m - can be seen at the junction of the Th Mahawong and the Th Rob Muang, at the South-West end of the town.

Wat Phumin

Nan's most famous wat is renowned for its cruciform bôt that was constructed in 1596 and restored during the reign of Chao Ananta Vora Ritthi Det 1867-74. It is the only built temple as if it were on the backs of two immense snakes or Naga.

Each of the four entries is preceded by a small corridor surmounted by a point shaped finely decorated underlining the royal origin of the temple structure and is equipped with smoothly carved doors, with Chinese demon guards in the East, flowers in the North and forest life motives of Lanna style in the West and the South.The wat’s interior is impressive. It is also a good example of Thai Lue architecture. The structure of the roof is supported by twelve teak pillars decorated with gold on black and red lacquer and elephants motives. The ceiling is also finely decorated. The flowered altar resting in the center of the bôt supports four Buddhas of Sukhothai style in the Bhûmisparsha-Mudrâ “Buddha Invoking Mother-Earth, Bhumi to be His Witness ” or “victory over Mara” - the hand pointed down to the earth with the fingers touching the ground, facing the four directions. The shape of their ears and of their nose shows a Lao influence. Aside to the altar, sits a splendid thammdat a dhamma seat used by teaching monks.Murals of great value and well preserved illustrating tales from the Jataka are on the northern and the Western walls as well as scenes of the local life of the time when they were painted Europeans can even been noticed - a probable reference to the arrival of the French to which the East of the Nan valley area was yielded in 1893. Thai Lue were carried out during the restoration of the temple by artists at the end of the 19th century]]. The style is rather distinctive quite far from the traditional style and is close to the murals of the Wat Phra Singh of Chiangmai. The setting is however, here, that of the culture and the everyday life of Thai Lue. The two most famous scenes are of greater dimensions than the majority of the other paintings: a man whispering to the ear of a woman on the Southern side of the Western door and the portrait painted on the side of the Southern door, which could be the king Chao Ananta Vora Ritthi Det’s. Other natural size paintings on each side of the main entry are of Chinese influence which can be explained by the origins of Thai Lue.

wat phra that chang kham

After Wat Phra That Chae Haeng, this wat is the second-most important temple Th Pha Kong in the city. The main vihara, reconstructed in 1458, has a huge seated Buddha image and faint murals. Also in the vihara is a set of Lanna-period scrolls inscribed in Lanna script not only with the usual Buddhist scriptures but also with the history, law and astrology of the time. A thammdat a dhamma seat used by monks when teaching sits to one side.The magnificent stupa behind the vihara dates from the 14th century, probably around the same time the temple was founded, It features 24 elephant supports similar to those seen in Sukhothai and Si Satchanalai.Next to the stupa is a small, insignificant bôt from the same era. Wat Phra That Chang Kham is also eminent by having the largest hàw trai Tripitaka library in Thailand, but it is now empty.

wat suan tan

Supposedly established in 1456, the Wat Suan Tan Palm Grove Monastery; Th Suan Tan comprises an interesting stupa of the 15th century 40 m high which combines Hindu/Khmer style motives stupa in form of prang and, surmounting it, an obviously Sukhothai style motive in the shape of a lotus bud, modified in its current form in 1914. The heavily restored vihara contains the Phra Chao Thong Thipun, out of of early Sukhothai style bronze sitting Buddha in Bhûmisparsha-Mudrâ. It measures 4,10 meters and could have been ordered by the Chiangmai sovereign Tilokaraj following its conquest of Nan in 1449.

wat min muang

This temple is located close to the Wat Phumin on the same side of the Th Suriyaphong, further west. Its ubosoth's exterior is embellished with elegant bas-relief stucco while its interior is adorned with mural paintings depicting Nan people's way of life, painted by present-day local artists. The Holy City Pillar is enshrined in the four-sided Thai styled pavilion in front of the ubosoth. This pillar is 3 meters high, stands on a carved gilded wooden base and is topped with a four-faced Brahma, representing the four virtues on Buddhism. It is an ancient Thai totem that is still very significant. The city pillars were probably erected as a ritual centre for agrarian fertility rites in ancient Thai towns and kingdoms, in the heart of the old cities and just next to the seat of power of a king or a chief.

wat hua khuang

This small wat diagonally opposite Wat Phra That Chang Kham comprises a distinctive Lanna / Lan Xang-style stupa with four Buddha niches, a wooden hàw trai - now used as a kùti monk cell - and a noteworthy bòt with a Luang Prabang-style carved wooden veranda.A carved wooden ceiling and a huge naga altar can be found inside. Stylistic cues suggest this may be one of the city's oldest wats though the temple's founding date is unknown

wat phra that chae haeng

Two kilometers past the bridge that spans the Nan River, heading southeast out of town, this temple dating from 1355 , under the reign of Pray Kan Muang, is the most sacred wat in Nan Province. It's set in a square, walled enclosure on top of a hill with a view of Nan and the valley. The Thai Lue influenced bôt features a triple-tiered roof with carved wooden eaves and dragon reliefs over the doors. A gilded Lanna-style stupa sits on a large square base next to the bôt with sides 22.5m long; the entire stupa is 55.5m high.

wat phra that khao noi

This wat is on the top of Khao Noi hill, two kilometers west of the town. The hill is 800 feet high. The recent temple buildings are nothing special but from the top of the hill, easily accessed by a road, one can see, side by side with a giant Buddha statue, the entire Nan town