Wat Ban Tham

A sandstone Ayutthaya-period Buddha found in the cave shows the cave was used then; Religious Affairs records cited in a 2025 study give the temple's registration as 1782, early in the Bangkok era. Local lore says a merchant found the cave and invited Luang Pho Thong to live there. The Fine Arts Department surveyed it in 1949, and Phraya Anuman Rajadhon suggested Ayutthaya-era origins.

The highlight is the dragon stairway: you climb up the dragon's body and enter the cave through its open mouth — red steps for the tongue, green scaled railings. Counts give about 114 steps from head to mouth, 105 from mouth to tail and 50 down into the cave, roughly 269 in all. The main cave is a prayer hall with Luang Pho Yai Chinnarat, a large Maravijaya Buddha, a Thao Wessuwan on the way up, and a spiral iron stair continuing to the summit and Tham Man Wichit cave. A blog says abbot Phra Maha Pramot built the concrete dragon around 1990, and the climb on to the hilltop chedi is about 707 steps.

Legend ties the temple to the epic Khun Chang Khun Phaen: Bua Khli, daughter of the bandit chief Muen Han of Ban Tham, married Khun Phaen, who wanted to make a kuman thong charm; when Muen Han ordered her to poison him, he learned of it and killed her while she was pregnant. Villagers believe a woman-shaped stalagmite in a side chamber is Bua Khli, dress it in cloth, leave toys, and pray to her for children. A 2025 academic paper studied the belief.

It opens about 07:30–17:00 and is free, with parking at the foot of the stairs. Climb before 09:00 or after 16:00, as the stairs are long and sunny; the cave is humid and slippery, shoes come off in the shrine, and modest dress is expected. On clear mornings a shaft of sunlight may fall on the Phra Siwali image. Those with limited mobility should skip the climb. Khrua Ban Tham, about 200 m away, opens 08:00–16:30 (081-829-2629).