Visit Yasothon and Roi Et to see water buffalo Largest wooden church That Kong Khao Noi (2019)
Visit Yasothon and Roi Et to see water buffalo Largest wooden church That Kong Khao Noi (2019)
Attraction No. 1: Buffalo and newly built bridge วังอิผุยพลเทพ เมืองสรวง ร้อยเอ็ด
We take the short cut road and will drive along the rice field edge. Hopefully, we can also spot some cute water buffaloes on our way to the bridge. This kind of buffalo isn’t closely related to the African buffalo even though they look similar. Water buffaloes in Asia aren’t dangerous and so they’re domesticated. To the farmers, water buffalo is their best friend. Do you know that water buffalo is native to South East Asia and Indian Subcontinent? And it’s a cultural symbol of Thailand? In the past, farmers depended more on water buffaloes to work in rice fields. Sadly, their population is very low and endangered nowadays. It’s always declined in the past few decades. The 14th of May each year is a Thai Water Buffalo Conservation Day nationwide. In the past few years, many towns had been successful in holding different activities or events to mark the day. These included unforgettable and extraordinary buffalo’s wedding, or an impressive contest of beautiful buffaloes.
Attraction No. 2: That Kong Khao Noi พระธาตุก่องข้าวน้อย ตาดทอง ยโสธร
I’m at That Kong Khao Noi now. It’s the first place for today. That Kong Khao Noi is a captivating ancient pagoda dating back in 24th Buddhist century. This was probably during the late Ayutthaya period or equivalently during the 19th century A.D. It’s located at Ban Tad Thong in Yosothon, 9 km. from the city. This’s a unique place to learn some more history about Yasothon. It’s a must visit when you are here. This’s a well-known story among Thai children. Once upon a time, during the rainy season, Thong is a young rice farmer aged 30. He’s no father and lives with his elderly mother. One day, he went to the rice farm very early in the morning. However, in the afternoon, he felt exhausted and was very hungry. Unlike other days, his mother brought him a lunch box late on that day. Thong stopped working in the field and rested under a tree waiting for his mother to deliver some food. When he saw his mother coming, he was very upset. He asked his mother “why do you bring such a small box of rice?” “It won’t be enough for me”. Thong didn’t want to listen to his mother anymore and so he hit his mother so hard till dead. After he was full but he didn’t even finish the whole box of rice. He realized that he has just murdered his mom. He cried so hard but there was nothing he could do to save her life. Later Thong decided to build a pagoda to dedicate to his deceased mother. He intended to keep her bones in it. He constructed the pagoda that looks like the shape of a box of rice.
However, many critics still argue that this pagoda isn’t the one built by the young ordinary farmer due to its size is too large for a person to build. They argue that there’s a smaller one in a different town of which they consider to be built by the young man. Around the pagoda, you can see a lot of models including cows, buffaloes, elephants and roosters. The pagoda is in the middle of a small but remarkable rice field with the brick pillars to the side. The brick wall also surrounds the square pagoda.
If this is more of your style, this city will provide an unforgettable experience. Some historians say that the construction of the pagoda is related to a folktale saying that villagers heard about a renovation of Phra That Phanom so they collected valuable items and holy objects among themselves to be put in it according to their belief. While on the way to Phra That Phanom which is situated in the nearby province, villagers were told by another group who has just returned that the renovation has been completed. Villagers then decided to use their valuables to build That Kong Khao Noi instead. It’s registered as a national ancient monument since 1936 or over 80 years ago.
Attraction No. 3: Song Yae Catholic Church โบสถ์คริสต์บ้านซ่งแย้ ยโสธร
This's the majestic church built in Thai style. The Tourism Authority of Thailand announces that this place has a unique cultural heritage and so lists this site as the ‘unseen Thailand’. It’s located in Ban Nong Sonyae in Thai Charoen district, north-east of Yasothon. Found in early 1900s, this church is now over 100 years since it’s initially built. It’s gone through several renovations from a very tiny hut to the current version renovated in 1947. This’s considered the largest wooden Catholic Church in Thailand. This Church has 360 wooden piles and over 80,000 pieces of wooden roof.