Wat Doi Khoi Khao Kaeo and Wat Klang Suan Dokmai

Two temples share a single legend in Tak’s Mae Tho subdistrict, connected by a story from the reign of King Taksin the Great — back when he still held the rank of Phraya Tak, governor of this town, before he became king. Wat Doi Khoi Khao Kaeo and Wat Klang Suan Dokmai sit roughly 2 km apart along the same road near the Ping River’s west bank, and both are registered as national historical monuments for what happened here centuries ago.

The story goes that Phraya Tak, testing whether he had enough merit to be a true protector of the people, threw a bell clapper at a glass bowl balanced on each temple’s chedi — vowing that if his virtue was genuine, the clapper would strike and break only the bowl’s neck, leaving the rest intact. According to temple accounts, it did, at both sites. Glass orbs were later placed atop the chedis at Wat Doi Khoi Khao Kaeo and Wat Klang Suan Dokmai to commemorate the event, though both orbs have since been lost as the original chedis deteriorated over time.

Wat Doi Khoi Khao Kaeo carries the more significant architecture: an ordination hall with paired pilasters, a detail historically reserved for temples under royal patronage, plus a stupa built around a Buddha footprint replica. Two smaller stupas at the front are said to hold the ashes of King Taksin’s parents — a direct physical link between this unassuming Tak temple and the founder of the Thonburi dynasty. Wat Klang Suan Dokmai, the second site, keeps a quieter profile but shares the same chedi-and-glass-orb legend, and its gardens give the temple its name — suan dokmai means “flower garden.”

Insider Tip: Visit Wat Doi Khoi Khao Kaeo first for the historical architecture and the royal-ancestor stupas, then continue the 2 km to Wat Klang Suan Dokmai — treating them as a single loop rather than two separate stops makes the shared legend easier to follow.

Watch out: Both are small, quiet neighbourhood temples with minimal English signage — the King Taksin story isn’t posted anywhere obvious, so it helps to already know it rather than expecting an on-site plaque to explain the connection.

Both temples are free to enter and open during normal daylight hours as working monasteries — dress modestly, covered shoulders and knees, and remove shoes before entering any building. They’re a short ride from central Tak by songthaew, motorbike, or car; there’s no direct public transport to either gate.