Wat Mongkhon Khiri Khet

Wat Mongkhon Khiri Khet sits directly on the Mae Sot-Tha Song Yang-Mae Sariang border highway, around kilometre marker 136 in Tak province — not in Mae Hong Son’s Mae Sariang district, despite the two sharing the same road corridor along the Myanmar frontier. What draws visitors here isn’t temple architecture; it’s the memorial hall of Luang Pu Saroy Khantisaro, a monk whose preserved body has been on view since his death in 1998.

A village temple already existed on this site from around 1919, known locally as Wat Tha Song Yang after the settlement it served. Khruba Saroy, born in 1929 and ordained at 22, rebuilt it into today’s monastery in the early 1960s. He led it until his death on 19 December 1998, and devotees from both the Thai and Karen communities that share this stretch of border consider the fact his body shows no visible decay a mark of his spiritual attainment. Pilgrims come specifically to bow before his remains and ask for blessings, rather than to see any particular hall or Buddha image.

Insider Tip: Don’t come expecting hilltop views or golden stupas — the temple’s setting is modest, riverside and functional. The reason to stop here is specific: paying respects to Khruba Saroy, a figure with genuine standing among both Thai and Karen Buddhists in this border district.

Beyond the memorial hall, the grounds are a working village monastery: an ordination hall, monks’ quarters, and a scatter of shrines rather than an architectural showcase. The Moei River corridor here carries Karen hill-tribe communities on both the Thai and Myanmar sides, and Khruba Saroy’s following reflects that — his image and relics circulate among amulet collectors well beyond Tak province.

Watch out: This is a remote stretch of highway with long gaps between fuel stops and phone signal. Fill up in Mae Sot or Mae Sariang before setting out, and don’t plan on finding food beyond basic noodle stalls near the temple itself.

If you’re driving this border road for Mae Sariang or Umphang, this is a reasonable stop-off rather than a dedicated day trip — pair it with other temples further along the highway in Tak province, such as Wat Chumphon Khiri near Mae Sot.