Wat Yai Thakkhinaram

Wat Yai Thakkhinaram sits on the bank of the Nakhon Nayok River, and despite what older write-ups suggest, it’s an active, intact temple — not a ruin. Lao communities who fled Vientiane during the 18th-century wars between the Vientiane and Luang Prabang kingdoms settled in Nakhon Nayok and built the temple in 1780 under the name Wat Ban Yai Lao. It kept that name, and its close ties to the Lao community that founded it, until a 1941 renaming to Wat Yai Thakkhinaram — though older Thai sources and some locals still call it Wat Yai Lao.

The temple’s centrepiece is its ordination hall (ubosoth): 6 metres wide, just over 10 metres long, and 10 metres high, built by craftsmen brought over from Vientiane in a distinctly Lao-Vientiane style rather than the central-Thai temple architecture found elsewhere in the province. Brick and stucco construction under a tiled roof, carved wooden doors depicting guardian figures, and a carved gable are all original to the 1780 build. Inside — visible only when the hall is unlocked — sits Luang Pho Pak Daeng, a Lao Vientiane-style Buddha image that serves as the temple’s principal object of veneration.

Watch out: The ubosoth is kept closed most of the time to protect its interior. If seeing it matters to you, ask a monk or the abbot directly rather than assuming it’ll be open — locals report they’re generally happy to unlock it for visitors who ask.

The low wall enclosing the ordination hall has its own detail worth slowing down for: arched gateways in an East-meets-West style, guarded by statues dressed as European soldiers in period uniform, holding clubs. It’s an unusual pairing for a temple built by Lao settlers in rural Thailand, and a reminder of how much cross-cultural exchange shaped 18th-century Southeast Asian religious architecture.

Insider Tip: Early morning is quietest, and the light off the river behind the ubosoth is better for photos than the midday glare — aim for before 10am.

The temple is a short drive from Nakhon Nayok town along Highway 3049. Dress modestly — covered shoulders and knees — as at any working Thai temple, and bring water; there’s limited shade around the grounds outside the immediate temple buildings.