Wat Nong Bua

Ban Nong Bua is a Tai Lue village - the Tai Lue came into Nan from Sipsongpanna in southern Yunnan in the nineteenth century, some brought as war captives, some migrating, and they kept their weaving, language and building traditions - and its temple, built in 1862, is a small wooden Tai Lue hall with a tiered roof. Inside are murals attributed to Thit Buaphan, the painter credited with the work at Wat Phumin in Nan, or to the same workshop: scenes from the Chanthakhat Jataka running around the walls, with the same interest in ordinary life alongside the religious narrative - clothing, houses, traders, weapons, foreigners. They are considerably more faded and damaged than the Phumin murals and have suffered from damp and past restoration. The village weaves Tai Lue textiles and sells them beside the temple. It is free, unstaffed, and gets very few visitors.

Highlights

• The Tai Lue hall - a small wooden temple of 1862 with a tiered roof.
• The Chanthakhat murals - attributed to the Wat Phumin painter or his workshop.
• The daily life detail - dress, trade and figures alongside the Jataka scenes.
• The village weaving - Tai Lue textiles made and sold beside the temple.

When to go

November to February. The hall may be locked - a keyholder in the village opens it, and asking is normal. An hour covers it.

What to expect

The murals are badly faded and damaged, far more so than at Wat Phumin. The hall is sometimes locked and needs a keyholder. No interpretation in English. Photography is restricted and flash prohibited.

Nearby

Tha Wang Pha is close; Nan town and Wat Phumin are south.