Wat Krok Krak

Wat Krok Krak is one of Samut Sakhon’s most revered temples, standing on the bank of the Tha Chin River in the Krok Krak subdistrict. Founded in the early Rattanakosin period — roughly 200 years ago — by the local Chinese community, it carries a history notable enough that King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) stopped here when his royal barge passed through on a journey from Bang Pa-in to Phetchaburi.

The temple’s principal attraction is Luang Po Pu, a laterite Buddha image in the Mara-Vijaya (earth-touching) posture that wears dark sunglasses. The story traces to a severe outbreak of conjunctivitis that once swept the village: residents prayed to the image and vowed to cover its eyes with gold sheets if the epidemic passed. It did, and devotees duly applied the gold; a later abbot formalised the tradition by placing sunglasses on the image, a practice kept to this day. The original image was brought here by Mon people who had fled an earlier calamity along the Tha Chin.

The compound includes a traditional Thai wooden ubosot with a tiled roof and two stupas alongside it. Each January the temple hosts one of the largest annual fairs in Samut Sakhon, drawing crowds for merit-making and the gold-covering rite for Luang Po Pu.

The temple opens daily 08:30–17:30 and is free to enter. Dress respectfully — covered shoulders and knees, shoes removed before the ordination hall — and a small donation for incense is welcome.