Wat Si Bueng Bun

Wat Si Bueng Bun is a free-to-enter temple on the bank of the Huai Thap Than canal in Bueng Bun district, about 20 km from Si Sa Ket city. It opens daily from 08:00 to 17:00, and its centrepiece is an ubosot (ordination hall) built in a striking combination of Ayutthaya and Rattanakosin styles, finished in bright gold rather than the plain whitewash common to rural Isan temples.

The ubosot has no windows, only tall slanting pillars, with His Majesty the King’s royal initials worked into both the front and rear gables. Five-headed nagas guard each corner of the extended roofline, and two large seven-headed naga serpents flank the entrance stairs in gold. The front gate opens only from that side and is carved from wood in a pattern based on a Dhamma riddle from the Phahung chanting incantation — a detail most visitors miss unless a monk or caretaker points it out. Inside, mural paintings tell the ten great births (Jataka tales) of the Buddha, and the hall enshrines a replica of the Phra Phuttha Chinnarat image, one of the most venerated Buddha figures in Thailand.

Insider Tip: Ask at the temple office before you leave whether a monk is free to explain the ubosot’s carvings — the Dhamma-riddle gate and the mural sequence are easy to walk past without knowing what they show.

The setting adds to the appeal: the canal here is wide enough that you can look across to Amphoe Rattanaburi in neighbouring Surin province, and to Ban Dan Dong Daeng, a border village of Roi Et province — three provinces visible from one riverbank. Mature takian trees shade the grounds, and the temple keeps a quiet, unhurried pace outside of merit-making days, when local families arrive with offerings.

Getting there means following the Si Sa Ket–Bueng Bun road: from the district office, turn past the municipal building and Bueng Bun Hospital, then follow signs toward the Chaopho Upparat Shrine — the temple is a short distance further along the same road. There’s no public transport directly to the gate, so a car, motorbike, or arranged transfer from Si Sa Ket town is the practical option. Watch out: the temple sits well off the main highway, and signage thins out in the final stretch — confirm the route with a map app rather than relying on road signs alone.

For a broader Si Sa Ket itinerary, the province’s cluster of Khmer sanctuary ruins at Sa Kamphaeng Yai and the city temple Wat Maha Phuttharam both sit within a similar radius of Si Sa Ket town and combine into an easy day loop.