Wat Khao Tha Phra

Wat Khao Tha Phra sits at the base of Khao Tha Phra, a limestone hill on the edge of Chainat town regarded locally as the dwelling place of guardian spirits. The temple’s own Buddha image, Luang Pho Mor (“the Medicine Monk”), is a centuries-old stone carving housed in the older viharn, while a replica Buddha footprint occupies a stone platform at the hill’s summit. Entry is free.

The temple’s name comes directly from the hill and its subdistrict, Khao Tha Phra, in Mueang Chai Nat district. Villagers and hunters are said to have found the footprint on the summit in a then-overgrown patch of forest; the site was later cleared and a stone platform built to protect it, with a concrete stairway of more than 100 steps now leading up from the temple grounds. Down at the base, Luang Pho Mor draws a steadier, quieter stream of visitors than the hilltop shrine — the image’s name reflects a long-standing local belief that water blessed in its presence carries healing properties, a tradition worth noting as folk belief rather than fact.

Insider Tip: The footprint pilgrimage on the full moon of the third lunar month is the busiest day of the year here — come on any other day for a quiet climb and better parking near the base.

Local legend also holds that a hidden tunnel — the “naga cave” — runs from inside the hill down to the Chao Phraya River, said to be the domain of a serpent spirit and the source of unexplained lights reported on the peak at night. It’s a genuine piece of local folklore passed down around Chainat, but there’s no publicly accessible cave route through the hill to verify it; treat it as a story worth hearing rather than a sight to see.

Watch out: The summit stairway has no shade for most of its length — carry water and avoid the climb during the hottest part of the day.

Dress modestly with shoulders and knees covered, and remove shoes before entering the viharn. It’s an easy pairing with Chai Nat Muni National Museum or Phra Borommathat Wora Wihan Temple, both a short drive away in the same Chainat district.