What to know before visiting the temple
Dress modestly · Shoes off in the ubosot and chedi chamber · Keep quiet in meditation areas
About 06:00–18:00 (some sources say 08:00–17:00)
17:00
Major Buddhist days, candlelit processions
6 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 Best window 06:00–13:00 Little rain · light drizzle possible at times
Holiday — traffic on the way up and parking fills fast; leave early
Hour by hour
Green band = hours used for the score
Best time to go Best window 06:00–15:00 Little rain · light drizzle possible at times
Holiday — traffic on the way up and parking fills fast; leave early
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
Holiday — traffic on the way up and parking fills fast; leave early
Hour by hour
Green band = hours used for the score
Best time to go Best window 06:00–11:00 Little rain
No warnings today — normal road and weather conditions
Hour by hour
Green band = hours used for the score
Best time to go Best window 06:00–13:00 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
No warnings today — normal road and weather conditions
Hour by hour
Green band = hours used for the score
Wat Pa Sawang Bun
Wat Pa Sawang Bun, Cha-om, Kaeng Khoi, Saraburi
- Quiet, good for worship
- Harsh glare off the gold
- Low sun on the gold — best light
Arrive 17:00
- Chedi main axisTiers of golden spiresLate afternoon
- Upper terracesRows of spiresAfternoon
- Ruby-glass chamberRed wallsAny time
Gallery
Photos from Wikimedia Commons and contributors · full credits inClassic page
Good to know here
Hot and glaring at midday
No public transport
- Come in the late afternoon for photos
- Bring a hat and water
- Combine with Chet Khot–Pong Kon Sao or Krok I Dok
Adults 0 THB · Time needed About 1 hour
Weekends and major Buddhist days
- Kids Yes
- Seniors Ground level yes; chedi stairs moderate
- Wheelchair Ground level only
- Pets Not recommended — forest temple
- La Lan Ta Camping & CafeCha-om, about 3 km
- Restaurants in Kaeng KhoiAbout 15–20 km
- Dress modestly
- Shoes off in the ubosot and chedi chamber
- Keep quiet in meditation areas
- Terraces and gold get very hot at midday
- A forest monastery — keep quiet
- No public transport — plan your ride back
Major Buddhist days, candlelit processions
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 · late afternoon (15:30–17:30) lights up the gold
Watch out · Midday glare off the gold, and heat
21°Jan
22°Feb
24°Mar
25°Apr
25°May
25°Jun
24°Jul
24°Aug
24°Sep
23°Oct
22°Nov
21°Dec
Oct by the records 23–30°C · avg rain 260 mm (22 rainy days) · clear 2 days · avg PM2.5 13
The story of this place
Wat Pa Sawang Bun is a Dhammayut forest temple in Cha-om, Kaeng Khoi, Saraburi, on more than 400 rai at the foot of a hill — not on a hilltop, as some assume. Its highlight is the Phra Maha Rattana Loha Chedi Si Satsana Phothisat Sawang Bun, known as the 500-spire chedi.
Read more 4 more paragraphs
The temple was founded in 1985 by Luang Pho Somchai Punyamano on his father's land. He replanted the bare hillside until it became shady forest for meditation. One source gives 1991, but several confirm 1985.
Work on the chedi began on 9 December 2005, after Luang Pho Somchai saw himself in a vision carrying a long bamboo pole up a mountain and took it as a sign to build. Thousands of volunteers came to help each month, and the chedi was finished around 2007. Its round base is 50 m across and rises in 9 tiers, ringed by about 500 golden spires, with stairways and gates on all four sides leading to the top.
Inside, the walls are covered in ruby-red glass with images of Thailand's great stupas, and a small central chedi holds relics from Nepal, India and Sri Lanka. The temple also has a chedi said to hold over 84,000 relic pieces, a stupa-shaped ubosot modelled on Kusinara, a 10.59 m reclining Buddha carved from a single stone, and a large Luang Pu Thuat statue behind the chedi.
Older reports mention plans for a giant reclining Buddha about 145–200 m long; some visitors post that it is now built and about 219 m long, but no official source confirms this. The temple is open daily, and many people come to meditate at weekends.
- 1985Luang Pho Somchai Punyamano founds the temple
- 9 Dec 2005Work begins on the 500-spire chedi
- 2007Chedi completed
Check-ins & visitor photos
Arrived? Check in, collect a stamp and tell others what it is like right now
Check your location first, so you do not fill in the form for nothing
Location must be on and within 1 km · One check-in per place per day · come back on other days to check in again
Post photos from anywhere — no need to be here · Up to 20 photos at a time · JPG / PNG / WebP · GPS location data is removed automatically
How to get there
Paved; turn left for about 4 km
Mittraphap Rd then Saraburi–Nakhon Nayok · Fuel
From Kaeng Khoi or Saraburi · Fare
Saraburi–Nakhon Nayok road, toward Krok I Dok Waterfall
Parking in the temple
Kaeng Khoi
Good
About 06:00–18:00 (some sources say 08:00–17:00)
around 15 km fromKaeng Khoi
Wat Pa Sawang Bun Saraburi
0 THB
Stays near Wat Pa Sawang Bun
Approx. nightly price for 2 adults (next week) · final price depends on your dates
FAQ
Before you goWat Pa Sawang Bun
Answers travellers want before they go — a one-minute read
How many spires are there
About 500, around a 9-tier chedi 50 m across
When was it built
9 Dec 2005 to about 2007; the temple dates from 1985
Who founded it
Luang Pho Somchai Punyamano
What is inside
Ruby-glass walls, images of great stupas and a small chedi with relics from Nepal, India and Sri Lanka
What are the hours
About 06:00–18:00 (some say 08:00–17:00); free
Is it on a hilltop
No — it sits at the foot of a hill on over 400 rai
Ready to go to Wat Pa Sawang Bun?
Best day this week: Wednesday 28 Oct · Check in when you arrive to collect a stamp