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Wat Tha Fa Tai (built 1769 onward)
Wat Tha Fa Tai is a rural wat serving the Tai Lue community. It is located about 12 kilometers north of the village of Chiang Muan. Although the area is relatively remote, the wat is convenient to visit as a side trip when traveling between Nan and Phayao, as it lies about midway between those two cities.
The wat was constructed in 1769 by Khru Thammasena and Phothao Saen-atthi, the leaders of the Tai Lue people who immigrated from Xishaungbanna in today's Yunnan province, China.
According to the author's GPS, Wat Tha Fa Tai lies at approximately 19 00.08605' north, 100 16.88064' east (WGS84 map datum).
Bibliography:
Image credits: All images copyright 2008 Timothy M. Ciccone. Photographed early March, 2008.
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River Books, 2001. Thailand
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Oxford University Press, 1990. Kuala Lumpur
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Thames and Hudson, 2005. Singapore
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