Wat Bang Khlan

Luang Pho Ngoen Phutthachot was born at Ban Bang Khlan; on Friday 16 September 1808, a Year of the Dragon — the calendar confirms it, while the 1810 date some give fell on a Sunday in a Year of the Horse. His parents were Nai U and Nang Fak. At about three he went to live with an uncle in Bangkok, became a novice at Wat Chana Songkhram (Wat Tong Pu) at about 12 and was later ordained there as Phutthachot, studying under Somdet Phra Phutthachan (To Phromrangsi) of Wat Rakhang. He returned for one rains retreat at Wat Khongkharam to care for his grandfather, then founded Wat Wang Tako around 1834; legend says he planted three bodhi cuttings, vowing the temple would prosper with them.

He was a preceptor, meditation teacher and herbal healer; Prince Abhakara (Krom Luang Chumphon) and Supreme Patriarch Vajirananavarorasa both studied meditation with him. He died before dawn on 20 September 1919, still Friday the 19th by Thai reckoning, aged 111 by Thai count (some say 109). He disliked making amulets, so few date from his lifetime; the best-known forms are the cast 'phim niyom' figure, the small and large 'hoe' shapes and 'phim khi ta', and later issues such as the 1972 batch are prized. Fakes are everywhere.

The two-storey, mondop-style Nakhon Chai Bowon Museum, built by the former abbot Phra Khru Phibun Thammawet (Luang Pho Plueang, died 1996) and called by the temple Phichit's first museum — its collection has been curated by the Ramkhamhaeng National Museum in Sukhothai since 1989, and it was formally opened on 23 March 2024 — has a life-size likeness of Luang Pho Ngoen upstairs and Buddha images, amulets, pottery and antiques given by villagers downstairs. In 2023 anti-corruption officials and the Fine Arts Department inventoried more than 100 valuables, including ivory and old Buddhas. The royal boundary was granted on 23 June 1971. There are also an ordination hall, an old ordination hall, the abbot's quarters, a bell tower, a sermon hall and a riverside fish-feeding pier; a lift for wheelchairs and strollers is reported.

The temple went through a long internal dispute in 2014–2023; in November 2023 it returned to normal under a new abbot, holding its kathin on 25 November 2023. It is open as usual today; check its page or phone ahead if you plan to attend an event. Each year around 19–20 September there is merit-making for the anniversary of Luang Pho Ngoen's death. The grounds flooded in October 2025.

It is open about 08:00–17:00 and free. Dress modestly and remove shoes indoors; parking is ample. From town take Highway 1067 toward Pho Thale, turn into Bang Khlan and continue about 8 km. Public transport is impractical, so tell drivers 'Wat Hiranyaram (Wat Bang Khlan)'. Buy amulets only at the temple office, not from roadside stalls.