Wat Chinawararam

Wat Chinawararam Worawihan sits on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River in Bang Khayaeng, Mueang Pathum Thani, a working temple that carries the rank of second-class royal temple. It dates to around 1815, in the early Rattanakosin period, when it was known as Wat Makham Tai — “Lower Tamarind Temple” — before a later restoration under royal patronage gave it its current name. Entry is free, daily 08:00 to 16:30.

The ordination hall is the reason to come. Its walls carry murals of the Ten Jataka tales — stories from the Buddha’s past lives — painted alongside their text rendered in classical Thai verse, a combination of image and poetry that’s become rarer as older temple murals fade or get repainted without the accompanying script. The hall’s principal Buddha image, known as Luang Pho Thong Kham (Phra Buddha Chinnawara), is a Sukhothai-period figure brought to the temple from Ayutthaya — meaning the image itself predates the building around it by centuries. Later additions on the grounds include a vihara built in 1917, a mandapa from 1929 housing a Buddha footprint replica, and a residence hall connected to Somdet Phra Maha Samana Chao Krom Phra Chinawarasiriwat, the senior monk credited with the temple’s early-20th-century renovation.

Insider Tip: This stretch of the Chao Phraya west bank around Pathum Thani was historically settled by ethnic Mon communities who fled Burma in waves from the 18th century onward — Wat Chinawararam sits within that heritage, which is worth knowing before you go, since it explains some of the temple’s older devotional customs that don’t always show up in Bangkok’s better-known royal temples.

Watch out: Public transport doesn’t reach the temple directly; a taxi or car from central Bangkok is the realistic way in, and there are no food or drink stalls immediately outside the gate, so plan accordingly if you’re visiting at midday.

Two more Pathum Thani temples worth pairing with a visit are Wat Bang Luang and Wat Bot, both in the same Mueang Pathum Thani district and reachable on the same riverside loop.