Wat Sing

Wat Sing is a riverside Mon temple in Sam Khok, on the Chao Phraya’s west bank in Pathum Thani province. It’s thought to date to around 1569, in the mid-Ayutthaya period, which makes it one of the older working temples in the province - and its history is tied directly to the pottery trade that once defined this stretch of river.

The temple started out abandoned before Mon families, migrating into Thailand in waves from the late Ayutthaya period through the early Rattanakosin era, resettled the area and rebuilt it into the working Mon temple it remains today. The current ordination hall - 8.5 metres wide, 18 metres long - was built in 1757; the temple’s sacred boundary (wisunkhamsima) had already been granted decades earlier, in 1667. Those Mon settlers also built brick kilns nearby, shaped like a turtle’s back and divided into firebox, loading chamber, and chimney, to produce the thick, unglazed red earthenware jars now known as Sam Khok jars - once a major river-trade export up and down the Chao Phraya.

Insider Tip: Look for the temple’s principal Buddha image, an Ayutthaya-period piece, and the wooden Buddha footprint replicas that are only brought out for the annual temple fair - most visitors never see them.

A small on-site museum used to display Sam Khok jars and other pieces excavated from the temple’s old stupa, along with a bedstead local tradition holds was a gift from King Rama I to a Mon Buddhist leader. That museum is now permanently closed, so those artifacts aren’t on public view, but the temple grounds and ordination hall remain active and open daily.

Watch out: With the museum closed, there’s less to see here than older write-ups suggest - budget 20-30 minutes rather than planning a long stop, unless you’re specifically interested in the Mon pottery history of Sam Khok.

Dress modestly and remove your shoes before entering the ordination hall, as at any working Thai temple. Wat Sing sits on the Pathum Thani-Sam Khok road, about 40-50 minutes from central Bangkok by car; there’s no rail line out this far, so a taxi or Grab is the practical way in.

Two other Sam Khok temples worth combining with the visit are Wat Tai Ko Yai and Wat Tamnak, both a short drive along the same riverside road, plus the nearby Talaad Ingnam Samkok market for food after temple-hopping.