Wat Phayakkha Intharam (Wat Chedi)

Wat Phayakkha Intharam, commonly known as Wat Chedi, sits in Ban Mai subdistrict in Chachoengsao town. It was founded in the reign of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) by Phra Kriangkrai Khabuan Yut — nicknamed “Suea” (tiger), then deputy governor of Chachoengsao — together with his wife, In. The temple’s name fuses the two: “Phayakkha” for the tiger nickname, “Intharam” for In’s temple. A silver plaque found in a crack at the neck of the main chedi’s bell dates its construction to 1873-1875, with the surrounding temple completed around 1881, giving the site a documented 19th-century founding rather than a vague “ancient” one.

The large central chedi is the reason for the common name Wat Chedi, and it holds Buddha relics and arahant relics rather than being purely decorative. Two smaller chedis flank it, alongside a vihara housing a Buddha-footprint image, an ordination hall and a bell tower — a compact complex rather than a sprawling one. The Fine Arts Department registered the whole site as a national ancient monument in September 1982, which puts it in the same protected category as Thailand’s more famous historic temples, even though it sees a fraction of the visitors.

Day to day, it functions as an active neighbourhood temple — monks going about routine duties, local merit-making rather than tour groups, and a quiet compound you can walk at your own pace.

Insider Tip: The plaque documenting the chedi’s 1873 construction date was found lodged in a crack near the bell’s neck — worth pointing your camera up at the chedi’s crown rather than only shooting it from ground level.

For another significant Chachoengsao temple nearby, see Wat Sothon Wararam Worawihan, one of the province’s most-visited pilgrimage sites.