Rating: 4.4/5 (5 votes)

Open Days: Daily

Opening Hours: 06:00 – 18:00

 

Wat Lahan is a royal-supported community temple under the Maha Nikaya order, located in Village No. 2, Son Loi Subdistrict, Bang Bua Thong District, Nonthaburi Province. It is an old temple of considerable importance to the local history of Bang Bua Thong, especially in terms of religion, community life, and the memory of the Lao Phuan people who settled in this area during the Thonburi period. At first glance, Wat Lahan may appear to be a quiet neighborhood temple in Nonthaburi, but a closer look reveals a site with deep historical roots, graceful architecture, and a long-standing role as a center for Buddhist learning and religious activity in the community.

 

One of the most distinctive aspects of Wat Lahan is its connection to a clearly traceable moment in Thai history. The story of the temple is linked to events in 1778, when Chao Phraya Maha Kasatsuek, who later became King Rama I, led an army to Vientiane and brought Lao families back to Thonburi. King Taksin the Great then allowed the Lao Phuan people from Vientiane to settle in the Bang Bua Thong area, where a large Lao Phuan community gradually formed. That community did not bring only its way of life, but also its faith and cultural identity. The temple emerged as the spiritual center of that new settlement and remained a major religious focal point for the area ever since.

 

In its early phase, the temple was simply known as “Wat Lao,” a name that reflected the people who built it and the surrounding settlement. Later, during the reign of King Chulalongkorn, documentary evidence was found recording the temple’s name as “Wat Ratchabanhan,” with variant spellings such as “Wat Ratchabanhan” and “Wat Ratchabunhan.” Over time, local pronunciation gradually transformed the name into “Wat Lahan,” which is the form used today. The temple’s name therefore carries more than a simple label; it reflects the gradual change of language, memory, and community history across generations.

 

Wat Lahan received its royal boundary designation, or wisungkhamsima, in 1927, confirming its established status within Thai Buddhism. The temple later expanded its role in religious education by opening examinations in Dhamma studies in 1946 and in Pali studies in 1953. It also developed into a Sunday Buddhist school, a Buddhist youth support center for Bang Bua Thong District, and a community training center for the subdistrict. This broader role shows that the temple has long functioned not only as a sacred site for ceremonies, but also as a place of education and community development.

 

As visitors enter the temple grounds, one of the first impressions is the atmosphere of an old community temple in Nonthaburi that still retains a sense of calm, simplicity, and quiet dignity. The grounds do not feel commercialized or shaped mainly for tourism. Instead, Wat Lahan remains a living temple, with resident monks and novices, active religious study, local merit-making, and ceremonies held throughout the year on important Buddhist occasions. For that reason, visiting Wat Lahan feels different from viewing a distant historical monument. It is a place where faith remains active in everyday life.

 

One of the temple’s most important architectural features is the ordination hall. The building is a reinforced concrete structure in a rectangular Thai hall form with five bays. Its roof is arranged in two descending tiers with three roof sections and covered in reddish-orange turtle-scale tiles. Both the front and rear sides include projecting porches, while the rooflines are extended into eaves that connect elegantly with the final roof section. Overall, the ordination hall reflects a thoughtful combination of traditional Thai architectural language and later structural development during periods of renovation and expansion.

 

The gable decorations of the ordination hall are especially striking. The front gable features a half-figure of a deity in a wai posture placed within a khao bin motif, surrounded by swirling flame-like Thai patterns set against a blue glass background. The secondary gable section carries further ornamental scrollwork, while the rear gable mirrors the front in style and composition. These decorative details give the ordination hall of Wat Lahan a distinguished visual identity, both as a work of Thai craftsmanship and as a sacred architectural expression of devotion.

 

The ordination hall is enclosed by a kaew wall, with an upper section designed as an open balustrade and four gates allowing access from each cardinal side: one gate to the east at the front, one to the west at the rear, and one each on the north and south sides. Inside the hall, the principal Buddha image is seated in the Mara-Vijaya posture and reflects Sukhothai artistic influence. This image serves as the main object of worship for devotees and remains central to the temple’s religious ceremonies.

 

Another highly important structure within the temple is the original Viharn of Luang Pho Pa Lelai. It was built through the collective effort of Phra Athikan Tuan and his disciples, together with local residents led by Khun Phithak Pathummat, also known as Singto Samwang, the first mayor of Bang Bua Thong. The building is a cruciform viharn with no reduced roof tiers, but with wing-like projections forming porches on all four sides. Constructed of brick and plaster, it features a superstructure of molded plaster with chofa finials, bai raka barge elements, and hang hong tailpieces adorned with gold-colored glass. Each of the four gables bears a plaster relief of a deity framed within pointed fan-shaped motifs and surrounded by curving ornamental lines, creating a refined and graceful Thai architectural presence.

 

Inside the original viharn is the image of Luang Pho Pa Lelai in the Pa Lelai posture, one of the temple’s most revered sacred images. This is a place where many visitors and local worshippers come to pay respect and make merit. The atmosphere around the viharn feels peaceful and spiritually weighty, making it especially appealing to those who want to pray, reflect, or spend quiet time in an old temple of Nonthaburi that still preserves its community-based character.

 

In addition to the original viharn, Wat Lahan also has a newer Viharn of Luang Pho Pa Lelai with a notably different style. This newer structure is a two-story cruciform building crowned by a round chedi. The base is a square building with porches projecting from all four sides, while above it rises a bell-shaped stupa serving as the viharn’s upper crown. A kaew wall surrounds the chedi on all four sides, and large ceremonial pedestal offerings are placed at the corners. The overall design emphasizes grandeur and sacred symbolism in a more monumental form.

 

Another building that reflects the temple’s ongoing role in contemporary community life is the sermon hall, or sala kan parian. This is a four-story reinforced concrete building with a Thai-style roof featuring three gables. The ground floor is used for merit-making and meditation practice by lay devotees, while the upper three floors serve as activity areas for the temple and as classrooms for monks and novices studying Buddhist scripture. This makes it clear that Wat Lahan is not only a place that preserves old heritage, but also one that continues to meet the practical needs of the present-day community.

 

In terms of monastic administration, Wat Lahan has had a continuous line of abbots over many generations. The first four abbots, serving between 1786 and 1875, are unnamed in surviving records. They were followed by Phra Athikan Hom, Phra Athikan Tuan Uttamo, Phra Athikan Vinayathorn Mi (Parian), Phra Khru Nonthapricha (Plian Chutintharo), Phra Khru Phatthara Nonthakhun (On Phatthasaro), Phra Ratchanantamuni (Samruai Aphakaro), and the current abbot, Phra Khru Sirithammaphan (Suthep Abhithewo), who continues to oversee the temple and its religious affairs today.

 

This continuity in leadership reflects the fact that Wat Lahan is not valuable only for its architecture. It also has long-standing institutional stability and a sustained monastic tradition. That continuity has helped the temple preserve its roles in religion, education, and community development with consistency over time.

 

For visitors interested in temple travel in Nonthaburi, Wat Lahan stands out because it still retains the character of an old community temple. Even though the wider Bang Bua Thong and Bang Yai areas have developed rapidly in recent years, entering the temple grounds brings a noticeably slower rhythm, a sense of calm, and an atmosphere well suited to merit-making or quiet reflection away from the pace of the city. This makes Wat Lahan appealing both to those who wish to worship and to those interested in the history of the Lao Phuan community and the older cultural layers of Nonthaburi beyond the urban expansion surrounding Bangkok.

 

From a cultural perspective, Wat Lahan clearly represents the close relationship between temple and community. The temple did not arise solely as a royal foundation in the sense of court-centered planning, but from the collective effort of people establishing a new life in Thai territory after displacement and political change. In that sense, the temple became a center of faith, a place of learning, and a shared symbol of local identity for the people of the area.

 

In tourism terms, Wat Lahan works well as part of a temple itinerary in Bang Bua Thong and Bang Yai because it is not far from the main roads of Nonthaburi and can easily be combined with nearby destinations. Travelers who appreciate old temples, Thai decorative arts, and community history will find much more here than the brief overview suggests. The temple’s name, the traces of the Lao Phuan settlement, the architectural features, and the continuity of its role in local life all add layers of meaning to a visit.

 

Getting There is relatively straightforward, especially for visitors using a private car. The temple is located near Soi Thetsaban 4 on Bang Kruai–Sai Noi Road in Son Loi Subdistrict, Bang Bua Thong District. From Bangkok, travelers can take Kanchanaphisek Road or Bang Kruai–Sai Noi Road and then continue into the Bang Bua Thong area without much difficulty. For those using public transportation, the Purple Line MRT to Khlong Bang Phai Station is the most convenient rail connection, after which local transport can be taken to the temple.

 

Visitors planning to come for worship should dress respectfully and allow time to walk around the important structures within the temple, including the ordination hall, the Viharns of Luang Pho Pa Lelai, and the sermon hall area. If the visit coincides with a Buddhist holy day or an important religious occasion, the community atmosphere of merit-making becomes even more vivid. That living rhythm of faith is one of the most appealing qualities of a traditional community temple in Nonthaburi like Wat Lahan.

 

 

A: Wat Lahan was founded in 1778 during the Thonburi period and is closely linked to the settlement of the Lao Phuan community in the Bang Bua Thong area.

 

A: The temple has long served as a center of religion, Buddhist education, and community life in Bang Bua Thong.

 

A: The most notable highlights are the beautifully decorated ordination hall, the original and new Viharns of Luang Pho Pa Lelai, and the large sermon hall.

 

A: The easiest option is by private car via Bang Kruai–Sai Noi Road or Kanchanaphisek Road. Public transport users can take the Purple Line MRT to Khlong Bang Phai Station and continue by local transport.

 

A: Yes, the temple is open daily for merit-making and worship.

 

A: The temple was originally known as “Wat Lao,” and later records used the name “Wat Ratchabanhan,” which gradually evolved in local pronunciation into “Wat Lahan.”

 

A: It is well suited to visitors who want to make merit, explore local history, and experience an old community temple in Nonthaburi that still functions as part of everyday religious life.