That Khang Khao Noi

Northeastern Thailand


A rather sinister myth surrounds this ‘Small Sticky-Rice Basket Stupa’, a brick-and-stucco chedi dating from the late Ayuthaya period, 5km outside town towards Ubon Ratchathani. According to one legend (which is taught to children as an example of why it’s important to keep your emotions in check), a young, ravenously hungry farmer who had toiled all morning in the hot sun murdered his mother here when she brought his lunch to the fields late and in a small sticky-rice basket.

The farmer, eating his lunch over his mother’s dead body, realised that there was actually more food than he could eat. To atone for his misdeed, he built this chedi.

Or perhaps not. Others say it was built by people who were travelling to Phra That Phanom to enshrine gold and gems, but when they got here they learned they were too late; so they built this chedi instead. Some locals combine the myths and say that the repentant son was unable to build a chedi of his own and so joined forces with the pilgrims and they built it together.

Further complicating matters, 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 Wat Thung Sadao.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Northeastern Thailand attractions

1. Wat Thung Sadao

1.5 MILES

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…

2. Toad Museum

3.99 MILES

Drive into Yasothon from the south and you can't miss the 19m-tall toad sitting on the shore of Mae Nam Tuan. It honours the Toad King, a central…

3. Ban Singha Tha

4.64 MILES

The most endearing neighbourhood in Yasothon is Ban Singha Tha, a collection of quiet residential streets just below Wat Mahathat. It has several classic…

4. Wat Mahathat

4.82 MILES

The centrepiece of this city-centre temple is a highly venerated Lao-style chedi said to date from AD 695 that enshrines holy relics of Phra Anan (Ananda)…

5. Ban Si Than

8.32 MILES

Residents of Ban Si Than can’t leave their work behind when they sleep: this is a pillow-making village. All around the village (and most others…

6. Wat Pa Non Sawan

27.72 MILES

Wat Pa Non Sawan is home to hundreds of colourful sculptures ranging from merely peculiar to ‘what the…?!’ Whether it’s the immense dragons, waving…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "thailand/yasothon-and-mukdahan-provinces/yasothon/attractions/that-khang-khao-noi/a/poi-sig/1581376/357812",
      "destination": "Northeastern-Thailand",
      "continent": "Asia",
      "country": "Thailand",
      "region": "Northeastern-Thailand",
      "position": "superzone"
    }