Wat Chomphu Wek

Wat Chomphu Wek’s oldest structure, the Phra Mutao stupa, is a Mon-style chedi modelled on Myanmar’s Shwedagon Pagoda — likely built around 1917 and said to hold Buddha relics inside. The wider temple traces back further still: temple tradition credits a Mon monk, Poh Phu Si Chomphu, with founding the site around 1682, during the reign of King Narai, making it one of Nonthaburi’s oldest working monasteries.

The temple’s best-known feature is a mural above the ordination hall’s entrance: Phra Mae Thorani, the earth goddess of Buddhist cosmology, wringing flood water from her hair. Painted in the Nonthaburi school style, it’s one of the most frequently cited examples of the genre and draws visitors who come specifically to see it rather than the temple as a whole. Inside, gold Buddha images sit in the ordination hall, and the grounds still function as a working Maha Nikaya monastery — monks conduct daily rounds and ceremonies rather than performing for visitors.

Wat Chomphu Wek sits on Soi Nonthaburi 33 off Sanam Bin Nam Road, in a residential pocket of Tha Sai subdistrict rather than a tourist strip, so afternoons are quiet. Early morning brings the most activity, as resident monks chant and locals drop by with offerings before work.

Watch out: the mural and the Phra Mutao stupa are the reasons to come — the rest of the compound is modest, so set expectations accordingly if you’re visiting specifically for the art.

The temple is open daily from 08:00 to 16:30 with free entry. Cover shoulders and knees before entering, and ask before photographing the murals with flash — the paint is centuries old in places. Nonthaburi’s other Mon-heritage site, Koh Kret, sits a short trip away by boat or road and makes a natural pairing if Mon history and craft are the draw.