🔄 Updated 21 Jun 2026
Plenty of people come to Sakon Nakhon to follow the forest monks but have no idea where to begin. The easy answer is to start at Wat Pa Sutthawat in the centre of town, because this is the spot where Luang Pu Mun Bhuridatto, the great teacher of the entire forest temple lineage, passed away on 11 November 1949. The same temple holds a museum that keeps his relics and personal belongings for later generations to pay respects to. It doesn't take long to walk through, but you come away with the full context before heading out to the other branch temples around the province.
Luang Pu Mun and Wat Pa Sutthawat
Luang Pu Mun Bhuridatto was born in Ubon Ratchathani and spent almost his whole life as a wandering meditation monk, walking and practising through the forests and hills of the Isan and northern regions. He laid the foundations for the way the forest temple lineage practises, and his students include several major teacher monks such as Luang Pu Khao, Luang Ta Maha Bua and Luang Pu Fan. Late in life he fell seriously ill, so his students brought him to rest and recover at Wat Pa Klang Non Phu in Phanna Nikhom district, before moving him to Wat Pa Sutthawat in town, where he passed away in 1949 at the age of 79.
His reputation kept growing in the years that followed, and in 2020 UNESCO honoured Luang Pu Mun as a person of world significance in the field of peace. That drew even more people, both the devout and curious travellers, to follow his trail in Sakon Nakhon. Wat Pa Sutthawat works as the starting pin for that whole route.
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What's inside the museum
The museum building is a single-storey hall in an adapted Thai style, with cool marble floors. The central hall enshrines a cast statue of Luang Pu Mun seated in meditation, modelled on his actual likeness. Most people pay their respects at the statue first, then walk around to read the displays along the walls. It's quiet inside and people speak softly, so it suits taking your time to read and look rather than passing through quickly.
- Relics turned to crystal — the thing most people come specifically to see. After his cremation, Luang Pu Mun's relics transformed into clear, glass-like crystals, held in a reliquary for visitors to venerate.
- Personal belongings — the alms bowl, umbrella-tent, shoulder bag, walking staff and other monastic items he actually used on his wandering practice, displayed along the north and south walls.
- History and photographs — telling his life from birth and ordination to setting out wandering and finally passing away, alongside rare old photographs.
- Life-size cast statue — set in the middle of the hall, the main point where visitors pay their respects.
Leave yourself enough time
The museum isn't large, and a proper look around takes roughly 20–40 minutes. But if you come to pay your respects and read the history in detail, allow about an hour so you're not rushing. The temple grounds also have a memorial stupa-museum and other pavilions to explore, so half a morning or half an afternoon works out about right.
Opening hours, entry fee and getting there
- Opening hours — open daily, roughly 6:00 to 18:00. The museum building itself usually opens during the day, around 8:00 to 17:00, so if you arrive very early or late you may find it not yet open.
- Entry fee — free, no charge. There's a donation box for temple upkeep if you'd like to give.
- Location — Wat Pa Sutthawat, Sukkasem Road, That Choeng Chum sub-district, Mueang district, in central Sakon Nakhon. Turn into the lane off Sukkasem Road opposite the Provincial Cultural Office, about 250 m in.
- Parking — there's a car park inside the temple grounds, easy and free.
- Getting there — it's in the centre of town, easy to reach by car or hired transport, just a few minutes from Phra That Choeng Chum, so it's simple to combine the two in one trip.
On what to wear
This is an active practising temple, so dress respectfully with shoulders covered and knees covered, and take off your shoes before entering the building. Skip loud, posed photos or playful shots in front of the statue, since most people come here to pay their respects, not just to take pictures.
Following Luang Pu Mun's trail around Sakon Nakhon
If you've seen the museum at Wat Pa Sutthawat and still want to keep following his trail, Sakon Nakhon has branch temples and key spots from Luang Pu Mun's life spread across several districts. Some are temples where he spent the rains retreat, others are where he fell ill before passing away. You can string them into a route that fills a whole day.
Wat Pa Klang Non Phu (Phanna Nikhom)
The temple where students brought Luang Pu Mun to rest when he was gravely ill, before moving him into town. The original wooden pavilion he stayed in is still here, now a museum displaying the litter, stretcher and mosquito net used to carry him from Wat Pa Nong Phue, along with relics and photographs. It's out of town towards Phanna Nikhom district.
Wat Pa Bhuridattatthirawat (Wat Pa Ban Nong Phue)
A forest temple where Luang Pu Mun spent the rains retreat for several of his final years and taught his most important students. The hill-and-forest setting still holds the calm of a true meditation temple, tucked deep into the Phanna Nikhom area, well suited to those serious about practising and following his trail.
Wat Tham Kham (Kham Hom), Phu Phan area
A cave temple on a hill in the meditation lineage, where Luang Pu Fan Acharo, a student of Luang Pu Mun, once stayed. It has caves, hilltop kutis and views down over the plain, a good pairing with a trip into the Phu Phan hills, a temple in the same lineage with a very different feel from those in town.
Straight talk
This isn't a slick, interactive museum with dramatic lighting. It's a temple museum that focuses on the real objects and a sense of calm. If you come expecting the spectacle of a modern museum it may feel plain, but if you come to pay your respects and understand where the Isan forest monk tradition comes from, the value is in the genuine relics inside and the atmosphere, not the lighting design.
More to see around Wat Pa Sutthawat
The upside of this museum is that it's central, with sights nearby that are either walkable or a few minutes' drive away. You can put together a full half-day without going far.
Merit-making in the town centre
Following the forest monks out of town
See where to stay and the full Sakon Nakhon travel guide before you set off
See the Sakon Nakhon guide →