Khon Kaen Hotels

Khon Kaen is a city in Isan, Thailand. It is also the capital of Khon Kaen province and the Khon Kaen district. Khon Kaen has some noteworthy Buddhist temples. On the south side of the city and East of the Friendship highway, there is a beautiful lake—Bueng Kaen Nakhon, with a diverse range of places for entertainment. The city gets its name from Phra That Kham Kaen, a revered chedi at Wat Chetiyaphum in the village of Ban Kham, 32km to the northeast. Legend says that early in the last millennium a thâat (four-sided, curvilinear reliquary stupa) was built over a tamarind tree stump that miraculously came to life after a contingent of monks carrying Buddha relics to Phra That Pha¬nom (in today's Nakhon Phanom Province) camped here overnight. There was no room at That Phanom for more relics, so the monks returned to this spot and enshrined the relics in the new That Kham Kaen (Tamarind Heartwood Reliquary). A town developed nearby, but was abandoned several times until 1789 when a Suwannaphum ruler founded a city at the current site, which he named Kham Kaen after the chedi. Over the years the name has changed to Khon Kaen (Heartwood Log). The lake offers paddle boats for rent on the Northwest side and at night there is a lively night market buzzing with activity where one can buy an assortment of food, clothing and various souvenirs. The lake has a paved running path, which many people use during the evening. Also, there are free outdoor aerobics classes at various points around the lake for any age group, as well as ping pong tables (table tennis), and other recreation areas.