Wat Bot Manee Siboonrueng

Wat Bot Manee Siboonrueng centres on a golden Mon-style chedi fronted by a Thai-style vihara, in Nong Luang subdistrict on the edge of Tak town. There’s no admission fee and no fixed visiting hours — the grounds stay open through the day.

The temple was founded in 1857 by Phraya Wichit Raksa, then the ruler of Tak city, with the ordination hall finished a decade later in 1867. It began life as two separate, adjoining temples — Wat Bot Manee Rat and Wat Sri Bunyrueng — divided only by a wall between the compounds. The two were formally combined into a single temple in 1954, taking the merged name it carries today. Tak itself sits on the old route between the central plains and the Burmese border — King Taksin governed the town before he rose to unite Siam after the fall of Ayutthaya, which is why the province’s shrine to him remains its best-known landmark today.

The vihara houses Luangpho Phutthamon, a bronze Buddha image in the Sukhothai style, seated in the Mara Vijaya posture with the right hand touching the earth. A Silpakorn University thesis on the building’s wall murals concluded the painting style blends Bangkok court conventions with Lanna influences, a mix attributed to the Rama V era when the murals were completed — evidence of Tak’s position on the old trade routes between central Siam and the north, rather than a purely northern building. Candlelight and incense smoke fill the vihara during the day, and the gilded chedi behind it catches the afternoon sun.

Insider Tip: Ask a caretaker to point out the mural panels near the entrance — the Fine Arts Department has them on record as a documented example of Rama V-era painting, but there’s no signage explaining this on-site.

Dress modestly and remove your shoes before entering the vihara. The temple is a short taxi or songthaew ride from Tak town centre, an easy add-on if you’re already visiting Wat Phra Boromthat or the King Taksin the Great Shrine elsewhere in the province.