Wat Khok Kham

Wat Khok Kham sits beside the historic Khok Kham canal in Samut Sakhon, one of the province’s more significant temples and a site directly linked to the Phan Thai Norasing legend — the royal helmsman was executed nearby on this same canal in 1704. The temple was founded around 1679 in the late Ayutthaya period, roughly 25 years before that event; the subdistrict and canal share its name, with khok meaning a raised mound of land and kham a local tree species found in the area.

The centrepiece is Luang Pho Samrit, a Buddha image in the Phra Buddha Sihing style, cast in 1689 according to an inscription at its base — 66 cm across the chest and 83 cm tall. It’s one of only four images in Thailand recognised as a Phra Buddha Sihing, and is regarded as the sacred Buddha of Samut Sakhon province. It draws devotees for merit-making year-round, and ceremonies in February and March involve applying gold leaf to the image. The main ordination hall dates to the Ayutthaya period and has a two-tiered, clay-tiled wooden roof; its carved decorations show Chinese artistic influence — birds, bats and dragon motifs — reflecting the Gulf-coast trade culture of the era. The hall was restored in the early Rattanakosin period.

The setting adds a broader appeal. Khok Kham is internationally known among birdwatchers for its adjacent salt pans, a wintering ground for the critically endangered spoon-billed sandpiper and large flocks of migratory shorebirds from October to April. Combining a temple visit with a morning at the salt pans makes a rewarding half-day.

Insider Tip: Ask to see the relic pieces linked to the Phan Thai Norasing story — fragments the temple associates with the royal barge — before continuing to the fuller telling of the legend at the historical park nearby.

Watch out: This is a working temple, not a museum — time your visit around the 07:30-17:00 hours and dress modestly (covered shoulders and knees, shoes off before entering any hall) rather than treating it as a casual photo stop.

Wat Khok Kham pairs naturally with the rest of the province’s Phan Thai Norasing sites — the Phanthainorasingh Shrine and Phanthai Norasing Historical Park both sit a short drive away on the same canal, and the Salt Pan fields make a natural birdwatching add-on.