Luang Pho Kaenchan

Luang Pho Kaenchan is a 2.26-metre Buddha image at Wat Chong Lom, a royal temple on Thanon Woradet beside the Mae Klong River in central Ratchaburi. The upper body is cast brass; the lower body is carved from fragrant sandalwood, giving the statue its name — kaenchan means sandalwood heartwood. Entry is free, and the temple is open daily from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

The image sits in an alms-receiving pose, but not the standard one. Instead of holding an open bowl, both hands grip a length of cloth that extends roughly a hand-span out from the bowl, which itself appears wrapped inside a fabric bag rather than held bare — a detail locals point to as proof this is no ordinary temple casting. Two stories account for how it got here. One holds that a man fleeing a tiger climbed a sandalwood tree and vowed to carve a Buddha image from it if he survived; the resulting statue later floated down the Mae Klong River from Kanchanaburi and was retrieved by Wat Chong Lom’s abbot. The other credits Luang Poo Chun, a former abbot who had trained as a carpenter, with carving the sandalwood lower half after a brass torso alone was discovered at the temple. Either way, provincial records place the image at Wat Chong Lom since the Ayutthaya period.

The statue stands inside a four-sided viharn open to worshippers on all sides, not tucked behind a single altar front — you can walk a full circuit around it. Morning is when the temple is most active: locals arrive with lotus buds, incense, and small offerings before the day heats up, and the smell of jasmine and sandalwood incense settles over the courtyard. Ratchaburi’s provincial administration also runs an annual procession carrying the image through the city during major festivals, and it has occasionally been taken to military installations nearby for public veneration over multi-day periods — a sign of how central this Buddha image is to local identity, beyond being a stop on a temple itinerary.

Wat Chong Lom sits close to Ratchaburi’s old town, an easy stop if you’re already exploring the riverside area or passing through on the way to Damnoen Saduak floating market. A tuk-tuk or private car from the town center takes a few minutes; there’s no direct public bus route to the temple gate.

Insider Tip: Arrive before 9 AM if you want to see the statue without a queue of local worshippers making offerings — Wat Chong Lom is an active place of worship first and a sightseeing stop second.

Wat Chong Lom sits within Ratchaburi town, on the river that also runs past the province’s dragon-jar pottery kilns.