Wat Rattanaram (Wat Kaeo)

A partly-collapsed brick sanctuary tower from the Sri Vijaya era stands within the grounds of a working temple in Chaiya, Surat Thani province — hence the double name. Wat Kaeo refers to the ancient monument itself, thought to date from roughly the 8th to 10th century CE; Wat Rattanaram is the modern temple that has grown up around and now maintains it. Both names point to the same 12-rai compound in Ban Wat Kaeo, a short drive from central Chaiya.

The tower follows a cruciform plan — a cross-shaped footprint rare enough in Thailand to draw comparisons to Central Javanese candi architecture — built from unmortared brick roughly 18 metres square at the base. Only the foundation and central chamber survive; the upper tower and roof collapsed centuries ago. On the south side, a limestone doorframe about 1.6 metres high has held up better than the rest of the brickwork, giving a sense of scale that the crumbled upper sections don’t. The Fine Arts Department has restored sections of the structure since the 1970s and lists it as a protected ancient monument, the same official status held by the more famous chedi at Wat Phra Borommathat Chaiya a few kilometres away.

Insider Tip: Excavations here turned up a stone Shiva lingam and a red sandstone Ganesha statue — both Hindu artefacts on a Buddhist site, a reminder that Sri Vijaya-era Chaiya absorbed both traditions. See them in person at Chaiya National Museum, not at the ruins themselves — nothing that valuable is left on site.

Don’t expect an active worship atmosphere at the ruins specifically — this is an archaeological monument you walk around and read, not a temple with regular ceremonies happening in front of you. The wider Wat Rattanaram compound is a genuine working temple with a school for monks and novices studying Dhamma and Pali, so there’s a functioning religious community here, just centred a short walk from the ancient tower rather than inside it.

Pair the visit with the other Sri Vijaya remains nearby — Wat Long shares the same era and construction style — and finish at Wat Phra Borommathat Chaiya, the district’s best-preserved chedi from the same centuries-old artistic tradition. Wear closed shoes; the brick ruins have uneven footing, and there’s little shade directly around the tower.