Wat Phra Boromthat

Wat Phra Boromthat sits in Ban Tak district, Tak province — not to be confused with the far more famous Wat Phra Mahathat in Nakhon Si Thammarat, 700km south. This is the temple on the site of the original city of Tak, about 30km north of the modern town centre, and it’s free to enter, daily approximately 08:00-17:00.

Local tradition holds that the Buddha travelled the Ping River to this hill, Doi Mahiyangka, during his lifetime, and that his disciple Ananda later enshrined relics and four strands of his hair here. Historians instead date the surviving stupa to around the Sukhothai period, based on comparison with nearby Sukhothai-era structures. What stands today is an octagonal Lanna-style core later encased in a gilded dome modelled on Myanmar’s Shwedagon Pagoda, ringed by sixteen smaller subsidiary stupas — a restoration carried out under the temple’s long-serving abbot Phra Khru Phituk Boromathat in the mid-20th century. The complex also has a 1951 ordination hall with carved wooden doors depicting Buddhist scenes and a two-storey viharn, both built during the same period of expansion.

The temple’s principal image is Luang Pho Tan Jai, a seated meditation Buddha whose name translates roughly as “quick-granting” — devotees come specifically to ask for fast results to their prayers, and a larger replica stands near the entrance for those who want to pray without entering the inner hall. It’s also the designated patron chedi for people born in the Year of the Horse, drawing worshippers from well beyond Tak province around that zodiac connection. An annual “Khuen That” (climbing the relic) tradition takes place in the ninth lunar month, when local devotees process up to pay respects at the chedi.

Insider Tip: The temple’s real historical hook is 500 metres away, not on site — Chedi Yutthahatthi on nearby Doi Chang marks the hill where local tradition places King Ramkhamhaeng’s elephant duel, recorded in his own stone inscription. Combine both in one stop.

Dress modestly with covered shoulders and knees, and remove shoes before entering the viharn or ordination hall.