Unique temple - a reason to visit Chachoengsao province in Thailand

A year ago we decided that we want to visit every province in Thailand. Since then we have managed to tick off quite a few but there are still so many to go (76 to be exact). It’s not always easy because of work while other times we end up visiting places we have already been to like Chonburi (Pattaya), Rayong, Prachuap Khiri Khan (Hua Hin) and Phuket. So last weekend on our way back from Chonburi, we decided to take a little detour and visit Chachoengsao.

Our plan was not to stay over but to see one or two attractions the province has to offer. That would be enough for us to say, yea we have been there.

Rule of thumb: we consider visiting a province if we visited at least 1 attraction and spent a few hours there. Driving through doesn’t count. Eating at a restaurant also does not count.

A little bit about the Chachoengsao

Located in the eastern central part of Thailand, Chachoengsao is a neighboring province of Bangkok. Despite its close proximity to the capital city, it is not often visited by travelers. It is mostly known as an agricultural hub but with very little infrastructure for tourism.

However, there are plenty of cultural and religious attractions here worth visiting such as Wat Sothon Wararam Worawihan temple and Wat Saman Rattanaram.

Wat Saman Rattanaram

We googled what is there to see in this province and a few temples showed up. After just a few minutes, Wat Saman Rattanaram caught our eye. It was different. Peculiar in fact. We had to go there and very glad we did because it was definitely an interesting experience.

Located in sort of an island, surrounded by a river (Bang Pakong), Wat Saman Ratanaram is a multi-belief temple ground with a variety of Hindu and Buddhist statues.

If there is no other reason for you to visit this province, perhaps this temple would convince you otherwise. Here’s why.

Lord Ganesha statue(s)

The main attraction and feature of the temple is a giant reclining Lord Ganesha statue. It is certainly one of the biggest ones I have seen. You can’t miss it as it’s the first thing you will see from a distance. A striking attraction due to its sheer size and bright pink color.

Apparently, there are two other Lord Ganesha statues in Chachoengsao. A seated one can be found at Wat Phrong Akat and another standing one is at the Khlong Khuean Ganesh international park. We only saw the one at Wat Saman Ratanaram.

Statues of Mythical creatures & Gods

If you are into stories of mythical creatures and icons, then you should definitely visit this temple. Here you will find awe-inspiring statues such as the three-headed Erawan, multicolored Nagas and Kuan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy.

This stretched Naga by the river is one of my favorites. Lots of awesome photo opportunities here for the gram. The double Naga is also another popular spot to take lots of pictures and enjoy the river view.

Another statue that you can see from away is of this…umm, not of what but definitely looks like a Goddess.

Quirky figurines

Perhaps the most interesting thing at the temple is that there are all these cute cartoon and anime figurines spread around. They have everything from superheroes and Asian anime to popular cartoons and animals.

There are also bunch of original and multi-colored Pikachus. So cute!

It was really quite interesting to see all these statues but more importantly, you ask yourself…why? Why are they here? How they do belong in a place meant for faith and religion?

Probably for touristic and attraction purposes because it’s definitely working.

Beautiful temple and shrines

As any temple in Thailand, the architecture of religious buildings and shrines here are beautiful. A white and gold temple next to the main parking lot is definitely one of the most alluring ones I have seen. It is minimalistic yet quite appealing.

Other shrines and smaller structures exist throughout the grounds and need to be observed closely. As we were now a bit late to get home, we quickly took some photos and headed on our way back.