Wat Khemaphitaram

Wat Khemaphitaram is a second-class royal temple on the Chao Phraya’s east bank in Nonthaburi, roughly 2km south of the town centre. The site itself predates the Ayutthaya era, but the temple as it stands today took shape in the 19th century: Queen Suriyenthara, widow of Rama II, had it restored with royal funds in 1828, and Rama IV gave it its current name — meaning roughly “free from suffering” — in 1863. Entry is free and the grounds are open daily from 08:00 to 20:00.

The main draw is a roughly 30-metre stupa enshrining Buddha relics, its bell shape visible from the river well before you reach the gate. Inside the ordination hall sits a Buddha image moved here from the old Ayutthaya palace grounds during the 1828 restoration — a rare direct link to a pre-Bangkok royal residence rather than a later replica. Eighty Arhat statues, added when Rama IV renovated the temple, line the compound alongside a mondop pavilion and a structure locals call the Red Palace, reportedly built using material relocated from the Grand Palace under Rama V.

Insider Tip: the temple sits on a working stretch of riverbank away from Nonthaburi’s more photographed spots, so you’ll often have the stupa terrace largely to yourself outside of merit-making days. Flash photography is off-limits inside the ordination hall — the murals are old and light-sensitive, so leave the flash off if you’re taking pictures of the Buddha images or wall paintings.

Weekday mornings are quiet — a scattering of local worshippers, a monk sweeping the courtyard, the stupa’s shadow moving slowly across the paving as the sun climbs. It reads as a neighbourhood temple with an unusually loaded royal history rather than a tourist stop, which is part of the appeal if you’ve already done the Grand Palace circuit in Bangkok.

Dress modestly with covered shoulders and knees, remove shoes before entering any building, and avoid pointing your feet toward Buddha images. Pair the visit with Wat Chaloem Phra Kiat Worawihan or the Museum of Nonthaburi, both a short ride away in Nonthaburi’s Mueang district.