Wat Phra Lao Thep Nimit

About

Wat Phra Lao Thep Nimit lies in Amnat Charoen Province along Highway 2134, about two kilometres from Amphoe Phana in northeastern Thailand. The temple's quiet grounds shelter an architectural and devotional treasure of considerable regional significance.

Its Lanna-style ordination hall houses the principal Buddha image after which the temple itself is named — Phra Lao Thep Nimit. Cast in 1720 and adorned with gold leaf, the image is shown in the subduing-Mara posture (maravichai), and is widely considered the most beautiful Buddha image of the Isan region.

The sculptural style reflects the Laotian artistic vocabulary of Vientiane, which was itself influenced by Lanna craftsmanship between the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Scholars who have studied the image suggest a date slightly after that period, judging by the facial pattern, the heightened flame finial above the head, and the proportions of the lap and feet, which closely resemble those of wooden and bronze Buddha statues from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

History

Wat Phra Lao Thep Nimit was raised during the eighteenth century, and its central Buddha image was cast in 1720. The temple's stylistic vocabulary reveals a confluence of Lanna and Vientiane artistic traditions, drawing on the Laotian work of Vientiane that had earlier absorbed influences from the Lanna kingdoms during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

Scholars who have examined the image cite the facial pattern, the heightened flame finial above the head, and the proportions of the lap and feet as evidence of a date slightly after the principal Lanna-Vientiane period of cross-influence. The Buddha has been venerated continuously since its consecration and remains the focus of local pilgrimage today, drawing devotees especially from across the surrounding districts of Amnat Charoen Province.