Wat Phon Chai

Wat Phon Chai is the principal Buddhist temple in Dan Sai town, Dan Sai District, Loei Province, northeastern Thailand. Located in the town centre, it is best known as the spiritual centre of the annual Bun Luang and Phi Ta Khon ghost festival and for housing the Phi Ta Khon Museum. The temple features a traditional ubosot, viharn, colourful murals depicting the festival, and a collection of Phi Ta Khon masks and costumes.

Visitors can expect a compact, active temple compound in central Dan Sai with an ordination hall (ubosot), sermon hall (viharn), and open courtyard. The main attraction is the Phi Ta Khon Museum located within the temple grounds, displaying colourful ghost masks, costumes and exhibits explaining the Bun Luang festival. Walls and structures feature murals and artwork related to the festival. The grounds are walkable and suitable for sightseeing, photography and learning about local Buddhist traditions.

Wat Phon Chai is the long-established central temple of Dan Sai community and has served as the religious centre for the Bun Luang merit-making tradition, from which the Phi Ta Khon festival originates. The temple has been the custodian of festival traditions and houses historical artefacts related to the local Buddhist and folk heritage.

The temple is the cultural and spiritual heart of the Phi Ta Khon Festival, one of Thailand's most distinctive folk festivals combining Buddhist merit-making with local ghost folklore. It serves as the main venue for festival ceremonies, parades and exhibitions, and preserves the tradition of handmade Phi Ta Khon masks through its museum.