The white stupa
About 55 metres with a gold spire.
Pthawatc — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Preecha.MJ — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Suwannee.payne — CC BY-SA 3.0 · K.Phothiwijit — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Suwannee.payne — CC BY-SA 3.0
Southern Thailand's holiest and oldest temple, in the old town of Nakhon Si Thammarat, the religious capital of the south for centuries. Tradition says it was founded to hold a tooth relic of the Buddha brought from Sri Lanka, and at its centre rises a huge white Sri Lankan-style stupa about fifty-five metres tall, topped by a spire clad in pure gold and ringed by dozens of smaller stupas. Its most striking sight is pilgrims carrying a long orange cloth around the stupa before wrapping it, during a great festival every year. The surrounding cloister holds Buddha images and old reliefs, and a side hall has a small museum of pilgrims' offerings across the centuries, statues, vessels and jewellery. The temple is on the tentative list for UNESCO World Heritage. Entry is free and donations are welcome. Modest dress is expected: shoulders and knees covered, and shoes off in the halls. A small market of amulets and southern food surrounds the temple. The southern east coast runs on a different calendar: heavy rain from October to December, drier from February to August. The city is an hour by air from Bangkok.
About 55 metres with a gold spire.
Pilgrims carry an orange cloth.
Centuries of pilgrims' gifts.
Ratchadamnoen Road, old town, Nakhon Si Thammarat
From February to August; this coast gets heavy rain from October to December.