Wat Pa Ban Kho

Wat Pa Ban Kho is a working forest monastery in Ban Phue district, about 36km northwest of Udon Thani city. Phra Ajahn Thoon Khippapanyo founded it on 1 January 1985, on 410 rai of land, after the death of his teacher Luang Pu Khao Analayo — placing the monastery within the lineage that traces back to Luang Pu Mun Bhuridatta, the monk credited with reviving Thailand’s forest meditation tradition in the early twentieth century.

Phra Ajahn Thoon was born in Mahasarakham in 1935 and ordained in 1961 at Wat Phothisomphon in Udon Thani city, later training under Luang Pu Khao at Wat Tham Klong Phen. When Luang Pu Khao passed away, Phra Ajahn Thoon brought his students to Ban Kho and built the monastery that stands today, serving as its abbot until his own death in November 2008 at 73. The province has since designated Wat Pa Ban Kho an official centre for meditation practice, and a small memorial hall on the grounds holds items connected to his life and teaching.

Day to day, the temple functions much as any forest monastery does: monks keep to a routine of chanting, meditation, and simple upkeep of the grounds, with the wooded 410-rai site giving plenty of room for the kutis (individual meditation huts) that this tradition favours over communal dormitories. Visitors are welcome but should treat it as an active place of practice rather than a sightseeing stop — there’s no ticket booth, no gift shop, and no scheduled tours for casual drop-ins.

Insider Tip: Early morning (before 8am) is when the monastery is most active with alms rounds and chanting — arrive quietly and keep to the outer paths unless a monk invites you further in.

Ban Phue district is also home to Phu Phra Bat Historical Park, the UNESCO World Heritage site of wind-carved boulders and ancient rock art, making a natural pairing with Wat Pa Ban Kho if you’re spending a day out of Udon Thani city. For the lineage connection, Wat Phothisomphon in Udon Thani itself is where Phra Ajahn Thoon was ordained before he ever came to Ban Phue.