Si Sa Ket Province Guide: History, Towns and Local Products
Si Sa Ket lies along the Dangrek mountains, which form the border with Cambodia. Its most surprising sight is Wat Pa Maha Chedi Kaeo, known as the Million Bottle Temple, whose halls are built from glass bottles set into concrete.
This guide looks at the province's Khmer sanctuaries and its border history, tours its districts and lists the shallots, durian and silk its farms and villages produce.
Si Sa Ket
A Temple of Bottles and Khmer Stone
A southern Isan province on the Cambodian border, where monks built a temple from a million bottles and Khmer towers stand among the rice fields.
By the SnapSellGo Thailand Desk · Updated September 2026 · 8 min read
Made in Si Sa Ket
The things Si Sa Ket is proud of. Shops from the province are on their way.
Nothing on these cards is for sale yet: they present Si Sa Ket specialities until real listings arrive.
Why Si Sa Ket mixes Khmer stone and recycled glass
Khmer builders left sanctuaries across the province, the largest being Prasat Sa Kamphaeng Yai, an 11th-century temple with carved sandstone lintels. On the border in Kantharalak district rises the cliff of Preah Vihear, whose famous Khmer temple was awarded to Cambodia by the International Court of Justice in 1962.
Modern Si Sa Ket has its own landmark. In 1984 the monks of Wat Pa Maha Chedi Kaeo, in Khun Han district, began collecting bottles to build their temple, and the site grew to include halls, a crematorium and more, built from well over a million bottles. The province's flower, the fragrant lamduan, gives its name to a festival each March.
Million Bottle Temple
Halls built from over a million glass bottles.
Sa Kamphaeng Yai
An 11th-century Khmer sanctuary.
Dangrek mountains
The border range with Cambodia and Preah Vihear.
Lamduan
The fragrant provincial flower, celebrated in March.
Si Sa Ket: a timeline
Si Sa Ket's timeline runs from Khmer stone to a temple of glass.
- 11th centuryPrasat Sa Kamphaeng Yai is built by the Khmer.
- 1962The International Court of Justice awards the Preah Vihear temple to Cambodia.
- 1984Monks begin building Wat Pa Maha Chedi Kaeo from glass bottles.
- 2008Preah Vihear, just across the border, is listed by UNESCO as part of Cambodia.
Twenty-two districts along the Dangrek range
Si Sa Ket has 22 districts and about 1.47 million residents. These are the most visited.
| District | What you find there |
|---|---|
| Mueang Si Sa Ket | The provincial town and its lamduan park. |
| Khun Han | Wat Pa Maha Chedi Kaeo, the Million Bottle Temple. |
| Uthumphon Phisai | Prasat Sa Kamphaeng Yai. |
| Kantharalak | The Dangrek cliffs and durian orchards. |
| Yang Chum Noi | Fields of red shallots and garlic. |
When to go: festivals and seasons
Si Sa Ket's calendar follows its flower and its fruit. Plan around these.
Made in Si Sa Ket: OTOP and local specialities
OTOP labels a product by the tambon, or sub-district, that makes it, and Si Sa Ket is one of Thailand's main sources of red shallots and garlic, grown in districts such as Yang Chum Noi and sold dried across the country.
The volcanic soils of the south grow durian and rambutan, and the province's villages weave silk in patterns shared with neighbouring Khmer-speaking communities.
Real products from Si Sa Ket makers appear in the carousel at the top of this page as soon as they are listed. Sellers pay no commission on SnapSellGo, only a yearly shop fee.
Short on time? The Million Bottle Temple in Khun Han. Into history? Prasat Sa Kamphaeng Yai. Visiting in May? Durian season in Kantharalak. Buying local? A string of red shallots.
Questions people ask about Si Sa Ket
What is the Million Bottle Temple?
Wat Pa Maha Chedi Kaeo in Khun Han district, Si Sa Ket. Since 1984 its monks have built halls and other buildings from more than a million glass bottles.
Is Preah Vihear in Si Sa Ket?
The temple of Preah Vihear stands on the cliff at the border with Si Sa Ket's Kantharalak district, but it belongs to Cambodia following a 1962 ruling of the International Court of Justice.
What is Prasat Sa Kamphaeng Yai?
An 11th-century Khmer sanctuary in Uthumphon Phisai district, the largest Khmer temple in the province.
What does Si Sa Ket produce?
Red shallots and garlic, durian and rambutan, and hand-woven silk.
Sources: Wikipedia entries for Si Sa Ket province, Wat Pa Maha Chedi Kaeo, Prasat Sa Kamphaeng Yai, the Temple of Preah Vihear and the Dangrek Mountains. Dates tied to the moon shift a little every year, so confirm them before you book. Cover photo: Million Bottle Temple by Mark Fischer, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.