Wat Phra Lao Thep Nimit, Phana
The Old Buddha of Amnat Charoen

🔄 Updated 21 Jun 2026

Wat Phra Lao Thep Nimit is in Phana subdistrict, Phana district, about 40 kilometres from Amnat Charoen town and only around 2 kilometres from Phana town centre. It sits beside Highway 2134 on roughly 7 rai of land, and it's an old temple registered as a historic site by the Fine Arts Department. People in Phana feel a deep connection to it, because the principal Buddha in the ordination hall has been regarded as the town's guardian image for generations.

Phra Lao Thep Nimit — a Buddha locals call one of Isan's most beautiful

Phra Lao Thep Nimit is a Buddha image in the Maravijaya (subduing Mara) posture, seated cross-legged, with a lap width of about 2.85 metres and a height of around 2.70 metres. It's made of stucco, lacquered and gilded, in the Lao style of the Vientiane school of craftsmen. What people talk about most is the face — full and well-proportioned. When you go in to pay respects, it feels almost as if the Buddha is smiling back at you. Old-timers came to call the image "Phra Lao," meaning beautiful as if carved and polished by hand. It's this kind of beauty that leads many to compare it to Phra Phuttha Chinnarat, hence the nickname "the Phra Chinnarat of Isan."

There's a good story behind the name. They say that when the image was first built, it wasn't quite beautiful enough, until a craftsman named Phra Sa Phrom volunteered to refine it and made it as fine as his word. Later, around 1898, the renowned monk Chao Khun Phra Ubali Khunupamajan (Chan Sirichantho), a famous master from Ubon and across Isan, added the full title "Phra Lao Thep Nimit," meaning a Buddha as beautiful as if the gods themselves had created it. The name has been used for both the image and the temple ever since.

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A temple dating back to the Ayutthaya era

It's not just the Buddha image that's old — the temple itself goes back a long way. Records say it was built around 1711, during the reign of King Thai Sa of Ayutthaya, by Phra Khru Thi and his followers. It was originally called Wat Si Pho Chayaram Khamwadi, and the ordination hall and principal Buddha came later, around 1720, before the temple took its present name from the image. If you love history, standing in front of the hall and realising that people have come to bow before this same image since before the province even existed is a feeling you don't get easily.

• The ordination hall (sim), brick and stucco — a frame of hardwood posts and a wooden roof, with Phra Lao Thep Nimit enshrined inside. This is the main spot where people come to pay respects.
• The preaching hall (sala kan parian) — built around 1920, with decorative work in the local craftsmen's style.
• Stucco reliefs and Lao craftsmanship — you'll find mythical creatures like Rahu, Hanuman, and the naga in the Lao tradition. Look around the image and the buildings.
• The scripture library (ho trai) — a building for storing scriptures, added in a later period, within the same grounds.

How to get to Wat Phra Lao Thep Nimit

The temple is in Phana town, near the district office, and easy to find. The route most people take is from Amnat Charoen town along Chayangkun Road (Amnat Charoen–Ubon Ratchathani), heading south toward Lue Amnat district, then turning onto the Lue Amnat–Phana road. The total distance is about 40 kilometres and the drive takes roughly 40 minutes to an hour. The road is flat and easy to drive, and the temple has a parking area on the grounds.

• From Amnat Charoen town — about 40 km via Lue Amnat, roughly 40–60 minutes' drive.
• From Phana town — about 2 km, beside Highway 2134, near the district office.
• From Ubon Ratchathani — come via Amnat Charoen or through Muang Sam Sip–Phana; allow about 1.5 hours.
• Dress code — this is a temple where people are paying respects throughout the day, so dress modestly, and take off your shoes before entering the hall.

Food and stops along the way

Phana is a small district and there aren't many shops, but there's enough to sit, rest, and eat before or after your temple visit. There are a few cafés to stop at in Phana town itself, while more serious dining is usually found in Amnat Charoen town or along the way through Lue Amnat. We've picked places that are actually open and on the route.

If you've paid your respects to Phra Lao Thep Nimit and still have time, the route through Lue Amnat passes Wat Amnat, an old temple tied to the province's name and history, so you can stop for another visit on the same loop. Or you can head back into town to visit Phra Mongkhon Ming Mueang, another large Buddha image that's a town landmark, rounding out a temple-hopping day in Amnat Charoen.

When to come

The temple is open for visits year-round. The nicest time is the late-rainy-to-early-cool season, around November to February, when the weather is comfortably cool and you can walk and take photos around the grounds without getting too hot. If you want to catch a merit-making atmosphere, check around Phana's festival season, like the beeswax castle procession (Prasat Phueng), a local merit tradition tied to the belief in making vows to Phra Lao Thep Nimit. The temple is especially lively then.

• Late rainy to early cool season (Nov–Feb) — cool weather, the most comfortable time to walk around.
• Buddhist holy days and religious holidays — lots of people paying respects, a fully temple-like atmosphere.
• Phana's Prasat Phueng festival season — a local merit-making event, the temple is lively, great for anyone who wants to see the real tradition.

Before you go

Wat Phra Lao Thep Nimit suits people who love old temples and fine Buddha images more than those after a lively sightseeing spot. The charm here is in the quiet, the age, and an image that people genuinely pass down as beautiful. If you're planning a temple-focused trip in Amnat Charoen, this pairs with Phra Mongkhon Ming Mueang and Wat Amnat for a full old-temple day that doesn't need to be rushed.