Wat Si Uthumphon

Wat Si Uthumphon — also known as Wat Wang Duea — sits in Nong Krot subdistrict, about 25 kilometres from Nakhon Sawan’s town centre. The temple is best known for two things: its two-storey “Loi Fa” (floating) ordination hall raised on roughly 100 pillars, and Luang Pho Choi, the abbot who led the temple from 1942 until his death in 2007 and whose preserved body is enshrined in a glass coffin inside the grounds. Entry is free, and the temple is open daily from 08:00 to 17:00.

The ordination hall’s ground-floor entrance is flanked by a stucco statue of Hanuman with his mouth open and guardian giants on either side; inside, Benjarong-style tilework in five colours covers the columns, walls, and ceiling. The hall houses the principal Buddha image, Phra Phuttha Si Uthumphon Patimakhon Rattanamani, alongside replicas of other revered images. A separate mondop, reached by a naga-flanked staircase and set between two white pagodas, enshrines another Buddha image and murals depicting scenes from the Buddha’s life — this is also where Luang Pho Choi’s remains are kept, with offerings left by worshippers who still visit to pay respects. Four teak-wood halls nearby (for scripture, deities, bells, and drums) hold jade Buddha images and wax figures of well-known monks. The temple’s standout curiosity is the Dagger Hall, home to a ceremonial Mitmor dagger about 9 metres long and 3,000 kilograms — a steel blade on a handle cut from century-old Takhianthong wood, promoted locally as the largest example of its kind.

Wat Si Uthumphon sees far fewer visitors than temples inside Nakhon Sawan town, which makes it a quiet stop rather than a crowded one — most people who make the drive out are either local devotees of Luang Pho Choi or visitors specifically chasing the dagger and the tiled ordination hall. Morning light works best for photographing the exterior tilework before the heat sets in.

Insider Tip: The Dagger Hall is easy to walk past — it’s a separate building from the main ordination hall, not signposted from the car park, so ask a temple volunteer to point you toward it if you don’t spot it.

Watch out: Luang Pho Choi’s preserved remains are on public display inside the mondop. It’s treated as a normal object of veneration by Thai visitors, but some travellers find viewing a preserved body unexpected — decide in advance whether that’s something you want to see.

There’s no direct public transport to the temple; a car, taxi, or hired motorbike from Nakhon Sawan town is the practical way in, and there’s parking on site. Dress modestly — covered shoulders and knees — and remove your shoes before entering any of the halls. For a wider look at the town’s other temples, Wat Nakhonsawan is closer to the centre, and Nakhon Sawan Tower gives an elevated view over the province if you want to see where the temple sits relative to the town.