Wat Thung Sadao

Northeastern Thailand


That Khang Khao Noi, the ‘Small Sticky-Rice Basket Stupa’, is one of the best-known icons of Yasothon. The famous stupa southeast of town on the Ubon Ratchathani road attracts most merit makers, but many Yasothonians claim the real Small Sticky-Rice Basket Stupa is at Ban Sadao village, 7km east of Yasothon on Rte 202 in the back of this temple.

All that remains is the base: when the original tumbled over shortly after the redeemed son’s death, locals built another petite chedi next to it. When we asked a monk here why Thai tourists visit the other chedi, he simply answered, ‘Gahn meuang’ (It’s politics).