Phra Maha Chedi Chai Mongkhon

The chedi at Wat Pha Namthip Thep Prasit Wanaram stands on a hill in Nong Phok district in eastern Roi Et, and its scale is the point: around 101 metres square at the base and 101 metres tall, in white with gold detail and elaborate ornamentation, built over roughly thirty years from the 1980s by the monastery and completed in the 2000s. Six floors rise inside - a hall of images, a museum of monastic objects, a meditation level, an assembly hall, and a relic chamber near the top - with an outer terrace on the upper levels giving a view over the flat Isan country in every direction. It is one of the largest chedis in Thailand and is entirely modern. The monastery is a forest tradition establishment. It sits well off any tourist route, receives Thai visitors and almost no foreigners, and is free. Stairs run the whole way with limited lift provision.

What you actually see

• The scale - around 101 metres tall and square at the base.
• The six floors - images, museum, meditation hall and relic chamber.
• The terrace view - flat Isan country in all directions.
• The thirty-year build - constructed by the monastery from the 1980s.

When to go

November to February. Weekdays are almost empty. One to two hours covers the floors. It is a long drive from Roi Et and needs a car.

Honest expectations

Entirely modern construction. Stairs with limited lift access. Interpretation is in Thai only. Remote - well off any route, and a car is essential. Free with donation boxes on each floor.

Nearby

Roi Et town and its walking Buddha are west; Mukdahan is east.