That Noi Temple

That Noi Temple in Chang Klang district holds the preserved body of Phra Khru Phisit Attakan — known across Nakhon Si Thammarat as Phor Than Khlai Wachasit, “the monk whose word comes true.” He served as abbot here from 1957 until his death in 1970 at age 96, and it’s his enshrined body inside the temple’s chedi, not general temple architecture, that draws most visitors. Entry is free, daily from 09:00 to 19:00.

Phor Than Khlai’s reputation rests on decades of public works alongside his religious life: locals credit him with building 11 chedis and stupas, restoring or constructing 14 ordination halls, and building 9 roads and 15 bridges across the district. The temple’s white chedi is modelled on the great stupa of Wat Phra Mahathat in Nakhon Si Thammarat city — the region’s most important Buddhist monument — and was built to hold relics he brought back from Kwan Phayao, a lake in Phayao province in the north. His body, which has not decomposed since 1970, remains kept inside.

Watch out: This is an active pilgrimage site, not a general-interest temple stop. Thai visitors come specifically to pay respects at Phor Than Khlai’s chedi, so keep the same quiet, covered-shoulders conduct you’d use at any Buddhist relic — it isn’t a photo backdrop.

Insider Tip: Weekday mornings are quietest. Weekends and Buddhist holy days (wan phra) bring larger groups of pilgrims making merit at the chedi, which is worth seeing once but changes the pace of a visit considerably.

The temple sits on 46 rai of grounds along Highway 4195, roughly 45–50 km from Nakhon Si Thammarat town. It’s often mentioned in the same breath as Mount Meru, a viewpoint in the same district, and Rai Kasemsuk farm further south — all reachable on the same day if you’re driving rather than relying on public transport, which doesn’t run this far out.

A separate memorial marks Phor Than Khlai’s birthplace elsewhere in Chang Klang district, distinct from the temple itself — if you’re specifically tracing his life rather than visiting the chedi, it’s worth knowing the two sites aren’t the same stop. At the temple, expect the layout of a working southern Thai monastery: the chedi as the focal point, an assembly hall, monks’ living quarters, and grounds that see a steady trickle of local visitors rather than tour buses.