Wat Suthiwat Wararam (Wat Chong Lom)

Wat Suthiwat Wararam — known to locals as Wat Chong Lom, “temple of the wind passage” — is a royal temple on the western bank of the Tha Chin River in Samut Sakhon, elevated to royal status by King Rama IX in May 1965. Founded during the reign of King Rama III (around 1807), it takes its nickname from the strong winds that funnel through the bay mouth where it stands. Rama IX formally renamed it Wat Suthiwat Wararam in 1976, meaning “temple of pure wind”.

The ordination hall enshrines Luang Pho Hin Daeng, a red sandstone Buddha image believed to date from the early Ayutthaya period and still venerated by local devotees. At the temple entrance stands a statue of King Rama V, commemorating his visit to Tha Chalom — the first locality in Thailand to be designated a sanitary district. One of the most photographed features is the Jao Mae Kuan Im Shrine: a nine-metre fountain in the form of the Mahayana Goddess of Mercy, popular with Chinese-Thai worshippers from across the region.

A secondary hall beside the ubosot holds the revered statue of LP Kaeo, a former abbot whose memory draws devotees seeking merit. Hundreds of edible-nest swiftlets have colonised this hall’s roof timbers, and the harvested nests contribute to the temple’s upkeep.

Admission is free, and the temple is open daily 08:00–16:30. Dress modestly with covered shoulders and knees, and remove shoes before entering any building.