Wat Chotikaram

Wat Chotikaram in Nonthaburi started life under a different name entirely. Local tradition says it was founded around 1807 as Wat Sam Jin — “the temple of three Chinese” — after the brothers believed to have built it. It kept that name for over a century, was later restored and expanded by Chao Phraya Chodueg Ratchasetthi, and received its royal land grant for the ordination hall on 5 December 1917. Only in 1940 was it renamed Wat Chotikaram, after its patron’s title — the name that’s stuck since.

The temple’s real claim to distinction sits inside: a gold-faced statue of Thao Wetsuwan, a guardian deity linked to wealth and protection, wearing a gold bracelet. It was the first image of its kind built anywhere in Nonthaburi province, and it draws a steady stream of local visitors who come specifically to make offerings to it rather than to see the temple in general. Beyond that, it’s a working Mahanikai-sect temple with the usual features — an ordination hall, murals, resident monks going about daily merit-making — in Ban Bang Phai Yai village, a settlement in Bang Phai subdistrict that runs along the Chao Phraya’s west bank, though the temple compound itself sits back from the water rather than directly on it.

Insider Tip: The Thao Wetsuwan statue is the specific reason most Thai visitors stop here — if you only have a few minutes, that’s the one thing worth seeking out inside the grounds rather than trying to see everything.

There’s no boat pier serving the temple, despite the riverside district — a car or taxi from central Nonthaburi is the practical way in. Dress modestly, covered shoulders and knees, and remove your shoes before entering any of the halls. It’s a low-key stop best paired with other Bang Phai-area temples like Wat Sangkatan rather than visited on its own, and it makes a quieter alternative to the crowds at Ko Kret if you want river-district Nonthaburi without the ferry queues.