Tirtha Atlas

The sacred geography of the Indic world — every site mapped, dated, storied, and cited.

3031 sites15 countries4 traditions30 centuries
Late medieval · Buddhist · Thailand

Phra That Kham Kaen

Ban Kham, Nam Phong, Khon Kaen Province · 16.5635°, 102.9519°

Gautama Buddha (relic)Lan XangLao-style chedi
Sacred since
1600 CE
first attestation / structure
Standing structure
17th c. (estimated)
Lan Xang

History & significance

A 19-metre gilded chedi at Ban Kham northeast of Khon Kaen that enshrines a relic of the Buddha and gives the province its name. No record of its founding survives, but scholars place it in the 17th century, when the region belonged to the Lao kingdom of Lan Xang or its successors, and date it alongside Phra That Si Song Rak in Loei.

Sthala katha — the traditional account

What follows is the temple’s own traditional account, transmitted through liturgy and local memory. It is recorded here as tradition, not as attested history.

Monks carrying relics of the Buddha are said to have camped by a dead tamarind stump here, and on their return journey found it sprouting fresh growth; reading this as a sign, they built the shrine on the spot with the help of local villagers.

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Sources

coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-28 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Lan Xang