What to know before visiting the temple
Dress modestly · Remove shoes in halls · Do not climb chedis · Do not point feet at Buddha images
07:00–18:00
Buddhist holy days
Um Phra Dam Nam diving rite (at Wat Bot Chana Man) on Sart Thai
7 days ahead
When to go
this week
Tap a day card to see that day’s weather, rain, haze and hourly forecast
Best time to go Fine all day little rain through the day
No warnings today — normal road and weather conditions
Hour by hour
Green band = hours used for the score
Best time to go Fine all day little rain through the day
No warnings today — normal road and weather conditions
Hour by hour
Green band = hours used for the score
Best time to go Fine all day little rain through the day · light drizzle possible at times
No warnings today — normal road and weather conditions
Hour by hour
Green band = hours used for the score
Best time to go Best window 06:00–14:00 Little rain · light drizzle possible at times
No warnings today — normal road and weather conditions
Hour by hour
Green band = hours used for the score
Best time to go Fine all day little rain through the day · light drizzle possible at times
No warnings today — normal road and weather conditions
Hour by hour
Green band = hours used for the score
Best time to go Fine all day little rain through the day
No warnings today — normal road and weather conditions
Hour by hour
Green band = hours used for the score
Best time to go Fine all day little rain through the day
No warnings today — normal road and weather conditions
Hour by hour
Green band = hours used for the score
Wat Mahathat, Phetchabun
Wat Mahathat, 29 Nikorn Bamrung Rd, Nai Mueang, Mueang Phetchabun.
- Cool
- Hot
- Evening light
- Main chediSukhothai formMorning
- UbosotPedimentAfternoon
Gallery
Photos from Wikimedia Commons and contributors · full credits inClassic page
Good to know here
Cover shoulders and knees
- Add Phetchabura Buddha Park, 3 km away
- The real Maha Thammaracha image is at Wat Trai Phum
Adults 0 THB · Time needed 30–45 min
Buddhist holy days
- Kids Yes
- Seniors Yes; flat
- Wheelchair Flat grounds; likely partly accessible
- Pets Not appropriate
- Phetchabun townSweet tamarind
- Town marketLocal food
- Dress modestly
- Remove shoes in halls
- Do not climb chedis
- Do not point feet at Buddha images
- Strong midday sun
Um Phra Dam Nam diving rite (at Wat Bot Chana Man) on Sart Thai
Best months
Tap a month on the wheel to see weather, rain, haze and crowds from 10 years of records
Best time · Nov–Feb is cool · Sep–Oct brings the town's diving rite
Watch out · April is very hot
20°Jan
21°Feb
24°Mar
25°Apr
26°May
25°Jun
25°Jul
24°Aug
24°Sep
24°Oct
22°Nov
20°Dec
Oct by the records 24–30°C · avg rain 123 mm (15 rainy days) · clear 6 days · avg PM2.5 9
The story of this place
Wat Mahathat, Phetchabun, stands at 29 Nikorn Bamrung Road, Nai Mueang, in the old town by the Pa Sak River. It is a third-class royal temple, within walking distance of the centre, open about 07:00–18:00 and free.
Read more 4 more paragraphs
Prince Damrong surmised that the temple dates from the Sukhothai period. A gold-leaf inscription gives its founding as 1383. Its principal chedi is Sukhothai style, about 6 m tall by one source or about 8 m by DASTA; sources disagree on whether it is lotus-bud or phum khao bin in form. Several other old chedis stand in the grounds, some under restoration, along with a building of antiquities.
The viharn houses Luang Pho Phet Mi Chai, or Luang Pho Phet, a Sukhothai-style bronze Buddha in the earth-touching posture about 36 in across the lap, regarded as Phetchabun's guardian image; Luang Pho Ngam sits in the ubosot.
Phra Phuttha Maha Thammaracha, the image used in the Um Phra Dam Nam diving rite, is not kept here but at Wat Trai Phum; legend says it was found in the Pa Sak where Wat Bot Chana Man now stands. The rite is held on Sart Thai, the 15th waning day of the 10th month, at the Wat Bot Chana Man pier — in 2026 it opened on 11 October — and was listed as national intangible heritage in 2022. Wat Mahathat's link is that in 1975 its abbot, Luang Pho Phae, helped consecrate the Maha Thammaracha coins at Wat Trai Phum.
The temple was registered as an ancient monument in the Royal Gazette (vol. 52) on 8 March 1936. Prince Damrong ordered a restoration in 1904; in 1910 water from Phetchabun's Sa Mon pond was sent for King Vajiravudh's coronation; on 13 February 1953 the temple received its consecrated land; and in 1967 the Fine Arts Department restored the chedi. No date for its elevation to royal-temple status was found. Old Phetchabun's square city wall, about 500 m a side, is dated by a local scholar to King Narai's reign. The best times are November–February or September–October for the diving rite. Dress modestly. Phetchabura Buddha Park is about 3 km away.
- 1383Founding year per a gold-leaf inscription
- 1904Prince Damrong orders a restoration
- 1910Sa Mon water used in King Vajiravudh's coronation
- 8 Mar 1936Registered as an ancient monument
- 13 Feb 1953Consecrated land granted
- 1967Fine Arts Department restores the chedi
- 1975Luang Pho Phae helps consecrate Maha Thammaracha coins
See 2 events
- 2022Diving rite listed as intangible heritage
- 11 Oct 2026Um Phra Dam Nam rite
Check-ins & visitor photos
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How to get there
Town roads
From the centre · Free
In town · Negotiate
Nikorn Bamrung Road
In the temple
In town
Good
07:00–18:00
around 1 km fromPhetchabun town
Wat Mahathat Phetchabun
0 THB
Stays near Wat Mahathat, Phetchabun
Approx. nightly price for 2 adults (next week) · final price depends on your dates
FAQ
Before you goWat Mahathat, Phetchabun
Answers travellers want before they go — a one-minute read
Is Phra Phuttha Maha Thammaracha here?
No; it is at Wat Trai Phum
Is it a royal temple?
Yes, third class
Is it free?
Yes
Which is the guardian image?
Luang Pho Phet Mi Chai, in the viharn
When is the diving rite?
Sart Thai, the 15th waning day of the 10th month
Ready to go to Wat Mahathat, Phetchabun?
Best day this week: Wednesday 28 Oct · Check in when you arrive to collect a stamp