AT A GLANCE
Why go?
Wat Ban Kluay is a small, active Buddhist temple serving the rural community of Ban Kluai in Kra Chan subdistrict, U Thong District, Suphan Buri Province. Named for the banana trees that once flourished in the village, this wat is one of four temples in the subdistrict and a quiet stop for travelers exploring the heartland of Thailand's ancient Dvaravati civilization.↗↗
Though modest in scale with five resident monks under the leadership of Phra Kru Sunthon Dhamma Prateep, the temple offers a genuine slice of central Thai village Buddhist life — away from the crowds that gather at U Thong's more famous mountain temples.↗↗
A Temple Named for the Village
The name Ban Kluay literally means Banana Village, a place name found across central Thailand where the small egg banana (kluai kai) was once a staple crop. Wat Ban Kluay follows the pattern of a wat built to serve a farming community, sitting on Rural Road 5058 amid the paddies and orchards of Kra Chan subdistrict.↗