Wat Lard Kham (Luang Po Saen Rean)

Wat Lard Kham in Phanom Thuan district is built around a single, unusual object: Luang Po Saen Rean, a Buddha statue formed entirely from coins. Despite the name reading like a monk’s title, “Saen Rean” — hundred thousand coins — describes the image itself, not a person. The temple is free to visit and functions as an active community monastery in rural Kanchanaburi.

The statue itself, formally Phra Phutthabenchanawamongkhon Kan, stands roughly 87 inches tall and 59 inches across the chest in the Maravijaya pose, hands reaching toward the earth. Its surface is built from hundreds of thousands of coins — old copper pieces alongside Rama V, Rama VIII, and Rama IX issues — donated by worshippers over years and fixed into the statue’s form, coin by coin. The effect close up is unlike any other Buddha image in the province: individual coin faces catch the light instead of smooth gilded bronze.

Insider Tip: look for the coins minted under different reigns as you walk around the statue — devotees often point out which era’s coins sit where, since the mix was assembled from public donations rather than a single batch.

The original temple here was destroyed during a Burmese invasion and stood in ruin for generations. The current abbot began rebuilding it in 1999 with community fundraising, and the coin Buddha became the project’s centrepiece — a deliberate lesson, temple literature says, in how small individual contributions add up to something lasting. A small museum on the grounds holds prehistoric tools, pottery shards, and Dvaravati-period clay tablets recovered locally, and a well nearby carries a local claim that its water shifts colour over the course of a day; treat that as folklore rather than fact, but it’s part of what draws repeat visitors alongside the Buddha image.

Dress modestly and remove shoes before entering the hall housing the statue. The Royal Monument of King Naresuan and the Kuan Yin statue at Wat Tung Samor, both also in Phanom Thuan district, pair naturally with a visit here if you’re exploring beyond central Kanchanaburi town.