Surin brings together pilgrimage traditions, archaeological collections, sacred architecture and silk weaving. These varied attractions can help you plan your trip around your interests: religious customs, the province’s history or traditional textile crafts can take center stage.
Pilgrimage, Museum and Shrines
Phanom Sawai Forest Park in Surin Province has long been a place of pilgrimage for people from Surin. They continue to make the annual ascent on the first waxing-moon day of the fifth lunar month. On the second peak, Yot Khao Ying (Phanom Sarai), stands Wat Phanom Silaram. A medium-sized Buddha image stands at the summit; two ancient ponds are believed to be home to sacred turtles.
Surin National Museum offers a comprehensive look at the province’s history: it collects archaeological and art-historical objects and presents the story from the past to the present across five themes. The archaeological exhibition features prehistoric finds and artifacts from Surin attributed to the Dvaravati, Lopburi and Lan Xang periods. The museum thus highlights both broad historical developments and specific finds and periods.
The Hindu shrine of Sikhoraphum is a tourist attraction in Sikhoraphum District, Surin Province. Five east-facing brick towers stand on a shared laterite base: one main tower in the center, surrounded by four others. The Fine Arts Department has excavated and restored the shrine and landscaped the grounds. Check local information about opening arrangements before setting out.
Prasat Ta Muen Thom is located in Ban Nong Khanna, Ta Mueang Subdistrict, on the Thai-Cambodian border. Historically, the site was a Mahayana Buddhist religious place built as a Dharmaśālā—a shelter for travelers. This former function gives the structure a different significance from shrines defined mainly by their architecture or present-day religious traditions.
Silk Weaving and Festivals
In Ban Chan Rom village, mulberry trees are grown, silkworms are raised on site, and silk is woven with traditional patterns and colors. In Ban Tha Sawang, the Chansoma weaving group specializes in intricate gold brocade: it has preserved and revived a weaving tradition once used in the royal household. Gold brocade combines gold-braid patterns from this tradition with folk-weaving techniques. Textiles woven in the village were selected for the shirts of the 21 heads of state and government and the shoulder cloths of their spouses at the 2003 APEC Summit in Thailand.
Festivals also offer different highlights. The Buddhist Candle Festival, featuring alms-giving by elephants, is held annually in Surin Province. Another annual event, the Eel, Jasmine Rice and Red Cross Festival, is held in Chumphon District. It includes eel-catching and eel-size competitions, jasmine rice competitions, rice threshing and pounding, and traditional rice cooking. The program also features a silk fabric competition, a boat race with no more than eight rowers, and performances of traditional dance, Mo Lam and folk music.
Historical Customs
A procession to Wang Thalu on the Mun River belongs to the past: the Kuy people of Ban Ta Klang and neighboring villages went there with candidates for ordination. Surin thus brings together different periods—a yearly ascent that continues to this day and a historical religious custom.
Discover more destinations: Boet, Kang-An, Nai Mueang, Nong Bua Lam Phu, Phayao, Nakhon Ratchasima, Lopburi, Mukdahan.
View the broader travel overview: Thailand.
