Rating: 3.4/5 (13 votes)

Open Days: Daily

Opening Hours: 08:00–17:00

 

Wat Phutthisan sits in Moo 5, Ban Nong Mak Fai, Nong Mak Fai Subdistrict, Watthana Nakhon District, Sa Kaeo Province. It is an old community temple that has long sustained local faith. Its highlights are the ordination hall and aged wooden structures that showcase the craftsmanship of Eastern Thailand before the modern era. Locals revere the temple as a spiritual anchor and a venue for major ceremonies throughout the year.

 

Records indicate the old ordination hall dates to 1932 (B.E. 2475), a pivotal period in Thai society. The hall’s materials and architectural elements speak a local “craft language”: gable pediments with floral and vine motifs, tall doors and clerestory openings that vent heat and humidity, and a tiered Thai roof clad with clay tiles whose warm tones shift subtly under the afternoon light.

 

Inside the main sacred buildings, parts of the old timber frame still reveal careful repairs where new wood has been “tenoned in” to reinforce aging members. This reflects a vernacular conservation approach: rather than replacing everything, caretakers shore up and swap out only what has failed, so the old work continues to breathe. The principal Buddha image is placed with quiet clarity, making the surrounding floor a contemplative “open field” where the mind can rest.

 

Surviving mural fragments (where present) often depict the Buddha’s life and Jataka tales in muted earth tones suited to dim interiors. Scenes of agrarian life—paddies, canals, and hand tools—appear beside moral parables, implying that ethics are woven into daily living. The beauty here lies not only in ornament but in the “language of life” embedded in small details.

 

Across the year, Wat Phutthisan functions as more than a “place”—it is a “civic institution.” Beyond meditation at dawn and alms rounds on observance days, the temple hosts major festivals such as Kathina, pha pa, and the Great Sermon. Programs for youth include summer novice ordinations, morality camps, and chanting lessons after school. This mutual, intergenerational relationship keeps the site alive; it is not a static monument.

 

The grounds are calm and leafy. The open court before the ordination hall gathers devotees on merit-making mornings, when soft light glances along the roof edges and finials. At candlelight processions in the evening, flames move slowly in rhythm around the hall—a simple image that invites many to return less for photos than for rest of heart.

 

Culturally, the temple is a repository of vernacular know-how: timber work, roof laying, and the art of pitching rafters for ventilation. Elders explain how to choose timbers, season wood, and allow for seasonal movement. It becomes a “craft classroom” without formal syllabi, where lived experience is the textbook.

 

Visitors keen on art details can look for joinery scars, base mouldings, and openly visible repair patches—a contemporary conservation stance that doesn’t hide the passage of time. Time itself is data. Conversations with monks or caretakers often yield oral histories you won’t find on placards.

 

Getting There From downtown Sa Kaeo, take Highway 317 toward Watthana Nakhon, then turn into Nong Mak Fai Subdistrict and follow local signs to the temple (about 30 km). The paved road suits private cars. By public transport, alight at Watthana Nakhon and hire a songthaew or motorcycle taxi into the village; the final stretch has clear local signposts.

 

The temple is open daily with no admission fee. Dress modestly and keep voices low inside the ordination hall or during rituals. Avoid drones and large tripods when ceremonies are underway. Groups or study visits should contact in advance to arrange parking and access to key interiors.

 

For culture-focused trips, pair Wat Phutthisan with nearby sites such as Wat Watthana Nakhon, Wat Khao Singto, Ta Phraya National Park, and the Aranyaprathet border market. Half-day to full-day routes are easy and suit travelers seeking calm and community learning.

 

For activity schedules or precise hours, please call the temple using the contacts in the summary table below (recommended before visiting on ceremony days, when certain areas may be restricted).

 

 

A: Moo 5, Ban Nong Mak Fai, Nong Mak Fai Subdistrict, Watthana Nakhon District, Sa Kaeo 27160, Thailand.

 

A: The old ordination hall and vernacular wooden architecture (circa 1932), plus a serene setting ideal for practice and art study.

 

A: Early morning or late afternoon for cooler air and gentle light; candlelight processions on Buddhist holidays are especially atmospheric.

 

A: Travel to Watthana Nakhon by bus, then hire a local songthaew or motorcycle taxi into the village.

 

A: No, entry is free.

 

A: Call 037-247981, 095-482-8159, 093-396-3598, 089-792-4345, or +66 92 081 4659 (best to call ahead on ceremony days).