Chao Pho Witthaya Yothin Shrine

Opening days: Daily

Opening hours: 08.00 - 17.00

 

Chao Pho Witthaya Yothin Shrine in Ban Tha Wang Pha, Tha Wang Pha District, Nan Province, is a sacred community shrine deeply connected with the settlement history of Tha Wang Pha, the Nan River trade route, and local memories from World War II. For local people, the shrine is not only a place of worship but also a spiritual center that represents protection, gratitude, and community unity.

 

The story of Chao Pho Witthaya Yothin Shrine goes back more than a century to the period of Chao Suriyaphong Pharitdet, ruler of Nan, between 1893 and 1918. At that time, the eastern bank of the Nan River, where Ban Tha Wang Pha stands today, was a settlement area for different ethnic and cultural groups, including the Shan, Burmese, and Yong communities. Around 1897, merchants from Mueang Nan, including Chinese, Burmese, and local northern Thai traders, traveled by boat from places such as Ban Hua Wiang Nuea, Ban Hua Wiang Tai, Ban Suan Tan, and Ban Don Ton Laeng, also known as Don Si Serm, to sell goods at Ban Tha Wang Pha.

 

These traders often stayed in Ban Tha Wang Pha for several days to sell their products and buy northern goods to take back to town. Some of them saw the area as a strategic riverside trading location and decided to settle there permanently. Together with the original residents, the community grew to about 30 households lined along the Nan River. In those early days, much of the surrounding land was still forested, especially the eastern side of the village, where a dense woodland known locally as Dong Chao Pho became associated with a powerful guardian spirit.

 

Dong Chao Pho was highly respected by earlier generations. Local people believed the place was sacred and had protective power. Those who came to pray, make vows, or ask for blessings often placed their faith in the spirit of the area. Over time, the villagers built a shrine to honor the guardian spirit, and the place became known simply as the shrine of Chao Pho, before later being called Chao Pho Witthaya Yothin Shrine.

 

One of the most important stories linked to the shrine comes from World War II, between 1941 and 1945. Ban Tha Wang Pha was located along a route used by enemy aircraft and was considered part of a wartime zone. Local authorities ordered villagers to prepare watch posts and decoy anti-aircraft guns. Households that owned carts were instructed to tie rice straw together and point it upward to make it look like anti-aircraft equipment when seen from above. A warning post was set up behind the former Border Patrol Police camp, in an area now located toward the northeastern side of Ban Tha Wang Pha Pracharat Witthayakhan School.

 

During one night in the war period, enemy aircraft dropped a bomb with the intention of attacking Ban Tha Wang Pha market, then an important commercial center. The bomb, however, landed near Chao Pho Witthaya Yothin Shrine. Its head was embedded deep in the ground, but it did not explode. Heavy gunfire also occurred, yet no villagers were injured or killed. This event became one of the strongest local memories associated with the shrine, and many residents believe that Chao Pho protected the lives and property of the people of Tha Wang Pha.

 

After that event, the shrine became even more deeply respected. It grew into a symbol of safety, gratitude, and collective memory. Every year on April 17, villagers from Ban Tha Wang Pha and nearby communities hold a procession to the sacred grove for the annual worship and apology ceremony dedicated to Chao Pho Witthaya Yothin. This annual ritual continues to preserve the community’s faith and its connection to local history.

 

The name Witthaya Yothin became widely known during the time of Kamnan Pharadon Siwannusorn, a former subdistrict headman of Tha Wang Pha. According to local oral tradition, Phra Khru Nekkhammaphinan, also known as Luang Pho Wat Don Tan, received a vision in which the guardian spirit revealed his name as Witthaya Yothin. The story further says that he was a soldier from Ayutthaya who traveled north to join military campaigns in the region. After his death, his spirit remained in the sacred grove, which came to be known as Dong Chao Pho Witthaya Yothin.

 

Originally, the shrine was a small spirit-house-like structure. With strong faith from local residents, Kamnan Pharadon Siwannusorn led villagers to restore the shrine and install the name sign “Chao Pho Witthaya Yothin Shrine” on April 15, 1975. Later, Kamnan Nikun Phio-on carried out another restoration in July 1981, and Tha Wang Pha Subdistrict Municipality restored the shrine again in 2008. The shrine remains an active sacred place and community space today.

 

Getting There is convenient from Tha Wang Pha town, as the shrine is located in Ban Tha Wang Pha, Tha Wang Pha Subdistrict, Tha Wang Pha District, Nan Province. Travelers can visit by private car, rental car, or local transport. The shrine can be included in a cultural route with Wat Nong Bua, the Thai Lue community of Nong Bua, Wat Phra That Chom Nang, Wat Si Mongkhon, and Nanthaburi National Park. Visitors should dress respectfully, behave quietly, and allow extra time for traffic and parking if visiting during the April 17 annual ceremony.

 

 

A: It is located in Ban Tha Wang Pha, Moo 2, Tha Wang Pha Subdistrict, Tha Wang Pha District, Nan Province.

 

A: It is a sacred shrine and spiritual center of Tha Wang Pha, closely connected with local settlement history, riverside trade, and World War II memories.

 

A: The annual worship and apology ceremony for Chao Pho Witthaya Yothin is held every year on April 17.

 

A: According to local oral tradition, the name was revealed through Luang Pho Wat Don Tan and is associated with a soldier from Ayutthaya.

 

A: Local stories say that a bomb landed near the shrine during World War II but did not explode, and no villagers were injured or killed, strengthening the belief that Chao Pho protected the community.

 

A: Visitors should dress respectfully, behave quietly, and follow local customs because the shrine is a sacred community site.

 

A: Nearby places include Wat Nong Bua, the Thai Lue Community of Nong Bua, Wat Phra That Chom Nang, Wat Si Mongkhon, and Nanthaburi National Park.