Wat Thung Saliam

Wat Thung Saliam is a working Buddhist temple in Thung Saliam district, at the northern edge of Sukhothai province toward the Lampang border. Its main draw is Luang Pho Sila, a grey sandstone Buddha seated in meditation under a canopy of naga heads — a style known in Thai as nak prok. Entry is free and the grounds are open daily from 06:00 to 18:00.

The image’s history is the reason people make the drive. According to temple accounts, Luang Pho Sila originally sat in a cave, discovered by villagers who had gone in to collect bat guano for fertiliser. The statue was too heavy for Wat Thung Saliam’s elderly abbot to arrange moving himself, so word reached Khru Ba Kuan, abbot of Wat Mae Pa Luang across the provincial border in Thoen district, Lampang, who organised the procession to bring it to the temple in 1929. Local telling holds that as the image arrived, clear April skies clouded over and rain fell hard for a while, and that a flock of bats circled the temple grounds before flying back toward the cave — the same bats, the story goes, that had led to the statue’s discovery in the first place.

Insider Tip: The image has its own dramatic modern chapter too — it was stolen from the temple and missing for 17 years before being traced to an auction connected with Sotheby’s Institute of Art in London. It was flown back to Thailand and arrived at Don Mueang Airport on 19 December 1996, an event Thung Saliam villagers still talk about; several buses of locals met the returning statue at the airport.

Today the temple complex is modest rather than monumental: a modern viharn houses Luang Pho Sila, with a working ordination hall alongside it where the resident monks carry out daily routines. There’s none of the roped-off, museum feel of Sukhothai’s ancient ruin sites a good hour’s drive south — this is an active place of worship, with locals coming to make merit and leave offerings rather than tour groups working through a checklist. An annual homage festival for Luang Pho Sila is held at the temple; if you’re nearby around that time, expect a livelier atmosphere than the rest of the year.

Dress modestly (covered shoulders and knees), remove your shoes before entering the viharn, and avoid pointing your feet toward the Buddha image while seated. Mornings are cooler and quieter for a visit. The temple is reachable by car or motorbike off Highway 101 — it’s a deliberate detour rather than something you’ll stumble across en route to Sukhothai Historical Park, so it suits travellers who want one genuine, lesser-known stop rather than a packed day of ruins.