Wat Nakhon Sawan is a relatively large working Buddhist temple in Nakhon Sawan town centre.
Entrance to Wat Nakhon SawanWat Nakhon Sawan is open every day from 06:00 to 18:00 and admission is free. The temple receives a constant small stream of visitors, some coming to see the buildings and statues but most coming to worship.
About Wat Nakhon Sawan
The buildings at Wat Nakhon Sawan are all fairly modern. The temple underwent significant repair and modernisation work in both the 1920s and 1970s and little of the original temple remains.
History of the Temple
The exact age of the founding of the temple is unknown, although it is known that when the temple was established it was at the edge of the Chao Phraya river, the course of which has since shifted leaving the temple slightly over 300 metres from the riverbank.
Ordination Hall at Wat Nakhon SawanOrdination Hall
The main building at Wat Nakhon Sawan is its ordination hall which is 26 metres in length. The ordination hall has been built in Central Thailand style with a three tiered roof and elaborately decorated architraves around the window and door openings.
Luang Po Si Sawan statue at Wat Nakhon SawanLuang Po Si Sawan Statue
The most notable feature of Wat Nakhon Sawan is inside the ordination hall, the Luang Po Si Sawan Buddha statue. The Luang Po Si Sawan statue is believed to have been cast in the 15th Century around the same time the temple was founded. Many Thai Buddhists who come to this temple do so specifically to pray before this very old statue.
Back to back Buddha statues at Wat Nakhon SawanUnusual Buddha Statues
The other major notable feature of Wat Nakhon Sawan is the two statues of the Lord Buddha facing away to each other. One faces west, and the other to the east. This is an unusual arrangement of statues at a Buddhist temple, and the legend is that the statues where built by an invading Burmese army who believed that it would help to discourage people from taking revenge and to encourage forgiveness.
Collection bowls at Wat Nakhon SawanCollection Bowls
Wat Nakhon Sawan is a temple of many parts. Around the ordination hall there are lots of other statues and curiosities related to Thai Buddhist beliefs. To attain good fortune you can take the time to drop a coin into each of a 108 collection bowls, each backed a statue of the Lord Buddha.
Location of Wat Nakhon Sawan
- Wat Nakhon Sawan is located 2.9 km by road from Nakhon Sawan Bus Terminal.
