San Phra Kan

Behind it rises a tall Khmer laterite base, once called San Sung ('the high shrine') — perhaps an unfinished or collapsed stupa base, dated variously to the 10th–12th centuries. The Sala Sung inscription found here, in Old Khmer and dated 1022, is an order of Suryavarman I protecting ascetics; an old-Mon inscription is also reported, suggesting an earlier Theravada site. King Narai built a brick-and-stucco shrine on the base mixing Thai and Western styles, and a reclining-Vishnu lintel was found here. Rama V described the shrine on his 1878 visit.

Chao Pho Phra Kan is a black-stone Lop Buri-style Khmer image, probably Vishnu or Avalokiteshvara, found without head or arms; legend says the deity asked for them in a dream, so an Ayutthaya-period sandstone head and a later-found arm were added, and gold leaf now makes it look golden. It was moved in front of the laterite base in 1922, and the present Applied Thai-style shrine, designed by the Fine Arts Department, was built under Field Marshal Phibun in 1951–53; Lop Buri officials raised 304,586.22 baht and it opened on 2 May 1952 (some say completed 1953). The reclining-Vishnu lintel is now inside the shrine.

The monkeys are said to be the deity's followers. The earliest story says soldiers from a nearby camp fed stray monkeys around 1927 until they settled in the shrine's banyan. Organisers ask the deity's permission here before each Monkey Buffet. The shrine troop was once the city's largest; after the 2024–25 round-up the province deliberately kept troops at San Phra Kan and Prang Sam Yot, so monkeys remain, in smaller numbers. No monument registration for the shrine has been found.

It is open roughly 06:00–18:00 (sources differ) and free; flowers, incense and gold leaf are sold. Parking is scarce on the roundabout, so park near Prang Sam Yot and walk. Dress modestly, take care crossing the roundabout traffic, and keep food, glasses and dangling items secure. Each Songkran (13–15 April) a replica image is bathed at the gate, and crowds come to pay respects during the King Narai Fair in mid-February.