Manorah Reclining Buddha Image at Wat Phukhao Thong

Wat Phukhao Thong sits at the foot of Khao Chumthong, a limestone hill about 20 km from Trang town via Highway 4123. Its reclining Buddha — the Manorah image — wears a dancer’s headdress and costume modelled on the Manorah folk-dance tradition rather than the plain monastic robe seen on most reclining Buddhas, a posture unique in Thailand. The statue measures roughly 8.5 metres long. Entry is free.

The image sits in a cave-like shelter built into the hillside rather than a conventional temple hall, reflecting the site’s older identity: this was originally an archaeological site called Phukhao Chumthong before the monastery was formally established in 1922. Human skeletal remains found beneath the statue are estimated by archaeologists at around 3,000 years old, and the site — including the Buddha image itself — was registered as an ancient monument by the Fine Arts Department in 1932. Local legend credits its creation to a princess from Phatthalung and her husband, though the more commonly cited dating places the image in the Srivijaya period.

Insider Tip: Beside the older shrine, the temple has built a modern glass-walled ubosot with marble plaques carrying Buddhist teachings around its base — worth the short walk even if the reclining Buddha is the main draw.

This is a working temple on a hillside rather than a polished tourist monument, so expect a modest, quiet site rather than crowds or a gift-shop strip. Sources differ on exact opening hours — most put it somewhere between 6am and 7pm daily — so if you’re planning a specific arrival time, it’s worth a quick call ahead.

Watch out: Dress modestly (covered shoulders, long trousers) and remove shoes before entering any of the shrine buildings, as at any active wat.

Trang’s better-known cave temples make a natural pairing with a Phukhao Thong visit — Tham Khao Chang Hai and Tham Khao Pina are both within the same limestone hill country west of Trang town.