Wat Phra Buddha Bat Yasothon: Lamp of Dhamma on the Chi River

        The temple - a predominantly white building that stands out starkingly against the clear blue sky - is set within grove on the basin of the Chi River in the village of Nong Yang, in Maha Chai Chana, Yasothon. Wat Phra Buddha Bat Yasothon - the shrine holding the oldest replica of Buddha’s footprint - is indeed Significant landmark of Yasothon, and a popular cultural attraction. Yasothon is also famous for its skyrockets.

    Thanks to generous donors from across the country, funds were available construct the temple’s main chapel or ubosot , on a plot of unproductive white sandy soil. In 1999, an architect and an engineer from Bangkok started the design and stayed on to supervise the construction. After six years, the ubosot was completed - comprising two stories, painted in pure white. It has a blue roof and is surrounded by a fence that is decorated with design of flames - symbolizing Dhamma or the Buddhist teachings.

             The inside of the ubosot holds an ancient model of the Buddha’s footprint, known as Pha Buddha Bat Yasothpn. The upper part of the footprint is carved with the 108 marks and qualities of the Buddha. A large Buddha image made of white stone from Burma is enshrined in the chapel as well. The image is 2.31 meters wide and 3.7 meters high.

             Evidently, Buddhism flourished in past along the two banks of the Chi River that flowed peacefully through the heart of an ancient civilization so much so that it can be said that that Buddhism is the lifeline of the people living along this river. Wat Phra Buddha Bat Yasothon resulted from the cultural prosperity of the times, and today represents a firm foundation, somewhat like a beacon of Dhamma, illuminating the strong beliefs of the people of the lower Chi River.

Wat Phra Buddha Bat Yasothon : shrine to the oldest replica of the Buddha’s footprint