Wat Khao Takhrao

Luang Pho Thong, the seated Buddha image at Wat Khao Takhrao, measures around 29 inches tall with a 21-inch chest width and sits in the Mara-subduing posture inside the temple’s ubosot. It’s the reason most visitors make the trip to this hillside temple in Ban Laem district, roughly 12 km from Phetchaburi city — entry is free, daily from 08:00 to 17:00.

Local legend ties Luang Pho Thong to a group of Buddha images said to have floated down Thai rivers together during the late Ayutthaya period, after Ban Laem fishermen escaping Burmese forces resettled near the mouth of the Mae Klong River. Different tellings count three or five images in the group; the ones most commonly named alongside Luang Pho Thong are Luang Pho Sothon at Wat Sothon in Chachoengsao and Luang Pho Wat Ban Laem in Samut Songkhram. Whatever the exact count, the shared origin story is why devotees travel between all three temples on pilgrimage, and it’s the detail most people ask about on arrival.

Insider Tip: Luang Pho Thong isn’t the only Buddha image inside the ubosot — look for Luang Pho Dhevarit alongside it, and a smaller reproduction connected to the Samut Songkhram sibling. Ask a temple attendant to point them out; the labelling on-site is sparse.

The temple grounds are modest rather than monumental — a single main hall on the hill, a handful of shaded rest spots, and views over the surrounding rice fields and salt pans that define this stretch of Ban Laem district. Visits rarely take more than 30–45 minutes unless you linger for a blessing. Cover shoulders and knees before entering the ubosot, as at any working Thai temple, and remove shoes at the door.