Wat Tub Klo (Bodhisattva Garden)

Wat Tub Klo sits in Thap Khlo district of Phichit province, about 40 km north of Phichit town. Locals call it the Bodhisattva Garden as often as by its formal name — the temple’s grounds are laid out as a landscaped park of Buddhist and Bodhisattva statuary rather than a single enclosed prayer hall, and the two names refer to the same place. It was registered as an official temple by the Ministry of Education and the Sangha Supreme Council in 1978, and has grown since into a working vipassana meditation centre alongside its role as a place of worship.

Walking the grounds, you pass Buddha and Bodhisattva images of varying scale spaced among mature shade trees, with quiet corners set aside for sitting meditation rather than one continuous museum-style display. A public library named Chaleraphakumari serves the local community, and a royal pavilion on the grounds was opened by Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn on 1 February 1993 — a marker of the temple’s standing beyond a typical rural wat. The main hall follows conventional Thai temple design, tiered roofline and all, and incense smoke and the occasional sound of chanting drift across the open grounds rather than being confined indoors.

Insider Tip: Because the site doubles as a meditation centre, mornings are genuinely quiet here rather than just marketed that way — arrive before 9 AM and you’re likely to have long stretches of the garden to yourself.

The temple runs structured programmes in vipassana practice, Buddhist education, and community welfare, including care for elderly or unwell monks and novices from around the province. Visitors are welcome to walk the grounds independently at any time within opening hours; joining a meditation session is possible but should be arranged with the temple in advance rather than assumed on arrival, since retreat schedules are not published for tourists.

Watch out: There’s no public transport link direct to the temple. Hire a car, songthaew, or motorbike from Phichit town, and agree a pickup time if you’re not driving yourself — Thap Khlo is a rural district with limited passing traffic.

Come dressed modestly and bring a little cash if you want to make a donation. Combine the visit with Bueng Si Fai or Wat Nakhon Chum back in Mueang Phichit district to round out a day that mixes the province’s best-known lake park with one of its quieter, more contemplative temples.