Wat Hongpathummawat

Wat Hongpathummawat sits on the Chao Phraya riverbank in Pathum Thani town, founded in 1774 by Mon refugees who fled Myanmar during the Thonburi period. Locally it’s often just called Wat Mon — “the Mon temple” — after the community that built it. Entry is free, daily 08:00-17:00.

The temple’s original name was Wat Hongsa; it was renamed Wat Hongpathummawat in 1942. The Mon heritage shows most clearly in a Hong pillar in the temple grounds, topped with a swan (hong) figure — a reference to Hongsawadi, the old Mon royal capital known today as Bago in Myanmar — and in a Burmese-style chedi modelled on Chedi Jittakon. The main ordination hall holds a replica of Phra Phuttha Chinnarat, one of Thailand’s most venerated Buddha images, cast in the Maravijaya posture. The temple’s ordination boundary (wisungkhamsima) was formally consecrated in 1981, with the physical boundary established the following year.

One feature that draws as many local visitors as the temple architecture itself: the riverside stretch in front of the temple supports a thriving population of snakehead, tilapia, catfish and other freshwater species, and the temple has been recognised for its conservation work protecting them. Feeding the fish here is a popular, low-key activity alongside the usual merit-making — buying and releasing caged birds or fish is common at Thai riverside temples, and this one leans into it more than most.

As a working temple rather than a curated tourist site, expect a modest, lived-in compound rather than an elaborately restored showpiece — worn stupas and everyday devotional activity rather than gift shops or English signage at every turn.

Insider Tip: Bring bread or fish food for the riverside fish population in front of the temple — it’s a small, free activity that locals do as much as visitors.

Watch out: This is an active place of worship, not a museum — dress modestly (covered shoulders and knees), remove shoes before entering any hall, and keep noise down if a ceremony is underway.

Reun Phae Khao, a c.1917 riverside heritage building in the same Bang Prok stretch, and Wat Bot — founded even earlier, in 1621, by Mon migrants from Hongsawadi — are both a short drive away in central Pathum Thani town.