Lan Boon Mahavihara Park, Somdet Phra Phutthacharn (To Phromrangsi)

Lan Boon Mahavihara Park sits directly on Mittraphap Road (Highway 2), on the inbound side of Nakhon Ratchasima city in Sikhio district. Its centrepiece is a 13-metre brass image of the revered monk Somdet Phra Phutthacharn (To Phromrangsi) — 8.01 metres across the lap and weighing 61 tonnes — housed inside a spired kutakara-style wihan (a hall topped with a tiered, tower-like roof rather than the low gable of a standard temple building).

What’s there

The statue and wihan were built by the Somdet Phra Phutthacharn (To Phromrangsi) Mettapharami Foundation, with construction running from 28 April 1998 to completion on 1 April 2000, at a cost of roughly 9 million baht. The foundation’s chairman was the Thai film actor Sorapong Chatree, and the park is often described locally as his lasting memorial to the project. Somdet Phra Phutthacharn (To), commonly known as Luang Pho To, was a 19th-century monk whose reputation for blessed amulets and merit-making is still widely honoured across Thailand — statues of him appear at temples nationwide, and this Sikhio image is regularly billed as one of the largest cast likenesses of him anywhere.

Around the wihan, the grounds are laid out with rock gardens and ornamental planting rather than a working temple complex — most visitors come to pay respects at the statue, take photos from the courtyard, and move on within an hour. It’s a common stop for Thai road-trippers making merit on long-haul drives along Mittraphap Road, particularly during weekends and Buddhist holidays, when the car park fills up faster than the wihan itself does.

Insider Tip: The park sits right off Mittraphap Road, so it works well as a short break on a Bangkok-Korat drive rather than a dedicated day trip — most visitors are in and out within 30-45 minutes.

Watch out: This is an active place of worship, not just a photo stop. Dress modestly (shoulders and knees covered) and keep your head below any Buddha image when seated or kneeling nearby.

Practical

Free food service and restrooms are provided for visitors, and there’s no ticket booth or gate — the wihan is visible from the highway. If you’re touring other Sikhio-district stops the same day, Lumtakong Dam and the Lamtakong Learning Center (EGAT) are both a short drive away, or head into Korat city for the rest of the province’s temples and museums.