Wat Pho Thong

Wat Pho Thong’s real significance is royal rather than architectural: this Ayutthaya-period temple in Kham Yat subdistrict, Pho Thong district, is where local history places the retreat of King Uthumphon, the 32nd monarch of Ayutthaya’s Ban Phlu Luang dynasty, who abdicated the throne after just ten days in 1758 to enter the monkhood. He’s remembered in Thai history as Khun Luang Hawat — “the king who went to the monastery.” The temple itself received official monastery status in 1688 and was granted its ordination-hall boundary consecration in 1698, though its founder isn’t recorded.

The ruin most directly tied to that history — a brick shell of four walls with Narai-era arched doorways, now called the Kham Yat Palace Hall — stands within Wat Pho Thong’s own grounds and gives the surrounding subdistrict its name. More than a century later, a Thai king passed through the area during a royal tour of the local waterways, a visit recorded in period travel accounts. In more recent history, the temple was home to Luang Por Som Suchivo (Phra Khru Sophon Siridham), a monk known locally as a traditional healer and for making amulets using classical techniques, still sought after by collectors today.

As a working temple, Wat Pho Thong sees ordinary daily activity — merit-making, chanting, the routine of a functioning monastery — rather than being set up as a museum. The royal-history angle is what sets it apart from other Ayutthaya-period temples scattered through Ang Thong’s Pho Thong district.

Insider Tip: Don’t skip the Kham Yat Palace Hall ruin inside the grounds — it’s easy to walk past without realising it’s the site’s actual historical anchor, since there’s minimal signage explaining the connection.

Dress modestly with shoulders and knees covered, and remove your shoes before entering the ordination hall. Entry is free and the temple keeps regular daytime hours.

The Kham Yart Palace Hall ruin sits inside these grounds, and Wat Khun Inthapramun — home to one of Thailand’s largest reclining Buddha images — is a short drive away in the same district. Wider trip planning for the province is on the Ang Thong hub page.