AT A GLANCE

Why go?

Wat Na Pho (วัดนาพอ) is a small Buddhist temple tucked into the flat paddy country of Thung Luang, in Wiang Sa District of Surat Thani. It sits on an earthen mound ringed by dense trees, surrounded by the rice fields that give the area its name — a quiet, working sanctuary set well off the main road and reached by a narrow lane.↗↗↗

What gives Wat Na Pho its quiet appeal is that it is both a living temple and an archaeological site. Local heritage records list it as a ruined monastery believed to have been founded in the same era as nearby ancient Wiang Sa, the old river-town whose history reaches back into the Srivijaya world. Brick fragments, pieces of red sandstone and an ancient pond still mark the mound, and nine red sandstone Buddha images recovered here are now kept at neighbouring temples.↗↗

Today the temple has been revived by resident monks, and visitors describe a vividly colourful ordination hall filled with bright murals, set in an atmosphere of calm. Wat Na Pho is a place for travellers who enjoy off-the-beaten-path rural temples and the layered history of southern Thailand's old settlements, rather than a polished showpiece.