The Nan National Museum is in the original palace of the last two Feudal Lords of Nan. The building was originally constructed, in 1903 by Phra Chao Suriyapnong Phalidet, the last but one Lord of Nan to replace his former wooden residence. After the death of the Chao Maha Brahma Surathada, the last Lord of Nan, his heirs donated this palace to the government in 1931 in order to be used as the provincial hall. The museum (Th Pha Kong; admission 30B; 9AM-4PM Mon-Sat) was inaugurated in 1973 after the new provincial hall building had been erected. Thanks to relatively recent renovations, it is one of Thailand's most up-to-date provincial museums, contrary to many of them, it also has English labels for many items on display.
The ground level is divided into six exhibition rooms with ethnological exhibits dealing with the various ethnic groups round in the province, including the northern Thais, Thai Lü, Htin, Khamu, Mabri, Hmong and Mien. Silver work, textiles, folk utensils and tribal costumes can be found on display . Exhibits on Nan history, archeology, local architecture, royal regalia, weapons, ceramics and religious art are shown on the second floor, divided into two sections. The first is the main hal whic used ro be the throne hall of the Feudal Lord. The second consists of the rooms in the north and south wings.
The museum exhibits a wide collection of Buddha images which includes some rare Lanna styles as well as the floppy-eared local styles. Usually made from wood, these standing images are in the 'calling for rain' posture (with hands at the sides, pointing down) and they show an obvious Luang Prabang influence.
Also on display on the 2nd floor is a rare black (in fact reddish-brown) elephant tusk said to have been offered to a Nan king over 300 years ago by the Khün lord of Chiang Tung (Kengtung). Held aloft by a wooden Garuda (mythical bird) sculpture, the tusk measures 97 cm long and 47 cm in circumference.
Books on Thai art and archeology are sold in a building adjacent to the museum.
King of Nan’s Teak House. Built in 1866 with golden teak and reconstructed in 1941, this large house (Th Mahaprom, opposite the backwards entrance of the Wat Phra That Chang Kham) is now the residence of Chao Sompradhana Na Nan. It exhibits heritage antiques such as ancient weapons, war elephant ivory and photographs by King Rama V. Contact the owner for visiting (Tel. 0 5471 0605).
The Old Wall. Constructed in 1885 by Chao Anantavorarittidet, Nan’s ruler, the wall was built in place of an old log wall destroyed by flood in 1817. Remnants of the wall - around 400 m out of the original 3 600 m - can be seen at the junction of the Th Mahawong and the Th Rob Muang, at the South-West end of the town.
Wat Phumin. Nan's most famous wat is renowned for its cruciform bôt that was constructed in 1596 and restored during the reign of Chao Ananta Vora Ritthi Det (1867-74). It is the only built temple as if it were on the backs of two immense snakes (or Naga).
Each of the four entries is preceded by a small corridor surmounted by a point shaped finely decorated (underlining the royal origin of the temple) structure and is equipped with smoothly carved doors, with Chinese demon guards in the East, flowers in the North and forest life motives of Lanna style in the West and the South.
The wat’s interior is impressive. It is also a good example of Thai Lue architecture. The structure of the roof is supported by twelve teak pillars decorated with gold on black and red lacquer and elephants motives. The ceiling is also finely decorated. The flowered altar resting in the center of the bôt supports four Buddhas of Sukhothai style in the Bhûmisparsha-Mudrâ (“Buddha Invoking Mother-Earth, Bhumi to be His Witness ” or “victory over Mara” - the hand pointed down to the earth with the fingers touching the ground), facing the four directions. The shape of their ears and of their nose shows a Lao influence. Aside to the altar, sits a splendid thammdat
(a dhamma seat used by teaching monks).
Murals of great value and well preserved illustrating tales from the Jataka are on the northern and the Western walls as well as scenes of the local life of the time when they were painted (Europeans can even been noticed - a probable reference to the arrival of the French to which the East of the Nan valley area was yielded in 1893. ) Thai Lue were carried out during the restoration of the temple by artists at the end of the 19th century]]. The style is rather distinctive quite far from the traditional style and is close to the murals of the Wat Phra Singh of Chiangmai. The setting is however, here, that of the culture and the everyday life of Thai Lue. The two most famous scenes are of greater dimensions than the majority of the other paintings: a man whispering to the ear of a woman (on the Southern side of the Western door) and the portrait painted on the side of the Southern door, which could be the king Chao Ananta Vora Ritthi Det’s. Other natural size paintings on each side of the main entry are of Chinese influence which can be explained by the origins of Thai Lue.
Wat Phumin(outside)
Wat Phumin (inside)
Wat Phumin (murals)
Wat Phumin (murals)
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Nan
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Nan Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
