During my travels through Thailand, I visited my fair share of Buddhist temples and definitely encountered many an unusual one. From a series of shrines clinging precariously to a sandstone outcrop to an entire temple made out of glass bottles, I thought I had seen it all.
Boy, was I wrong: None of these places were a match for Wat Pa Non Sawan. Sitting completely isolated in the beautiful Isan countryside near the small town of Roi Et, the temple is filled with hundreds of statues depicting everything from giant Elephant-Peacock-Hybrids to sadistic hell-demons.
Read on for everything you need to know about visiting Thailand’s strangest temple.
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Visiting Wat Pa Non Sawan – What to Expect
The appearance of the temple is said to go back to a vision that the abbot Lung Phu Kampan Patta had while meditating in a secluded mountain temple. It must have been some vision, as it’s impossible to accurately describe the whole scope of eccentricities you’ll encounter on the temple grounds, so I’ll leave you with some general impressions.
The entrance to the complex is guarded by two huge white dragons, which arguably are the most normal thing going on here. All over the grounds, you’ll find everything from voracious dinosaurs to depictions of the Buddha being devoured by a giant ogre.
Something that struck me was the huge amount of animal statues, most of which have decidedly human traits. The menagerie includes shifty-looking cats, humongous buggy-eyed snails and lobsters and an octopus that looks like he just realized he forgot to turn off the stove.
In a small grove of trees beside the main temple, the imagery takes a sudden dark turn with an explicit imagining of Buddhist Hell. Here, maniacally grinning blue-skinned demon-creatures torture poor souls in devious ways.
In between all the murderous mayhem there are 7m-tall skeletons with tongues hanging to their knees, people carrying their face on their belly for some reason and tons of human-animal-hybrids that seem to have walked right out of a Hieronymus Bosch Painting.
It’s so over the top that I found it to be more bizarre than disturbing, but it’s still pretty graphic, so if you’re unsure whether it’s for you, you might want to skip it. In any case, I’ve omitted the bloodier scenes in my photos.
More pleasant views over the temple grounds and the surrounding fields open up from the top of the central stupa. The interior can be reached through a series of gateways lorded over by several deities and animals, culminating in a pink elephant straight out of Dumbo’s Nightmare.
I’m sure I’ve forgotten tons of details, but I hope you’ve got an idea of the general madness of Wat Pa Non Sawan. Still, words can’t really do this place justice, so I suggest you make your way there to check it out yourself.
When to Visit Wat Pa Non Sawan
The temple is open daily during daylight hours. Due to its isolated location, you won’t have to worry about avoiding groups of tourists. When I was there, I only met a couple of other visitors.
Is There an Entrance Fee for Wat Pa Non Sawan?
Nope, as with most Buddhist temples in the country, visiting Wat Pa Non Sawan is completely free.
How to Get to Wat Pa Non Sawan
The temple sits near the village von Ban Thoet Thai, about 30km/20mi. east of the town of Roi Et. Without your own transport, you can take an eastbound bus (going to Ubon Ratchathani, for instance) and ask them to drop you off near the turn-off for the temple along Highway 23.
From there it’s still 8km/5mi. to the Wat, but you might be lucky and get a lift – I managed to hitch-hike both ways. On the way back, you can just wave down any bus headed to Roi Et along the highway.
Again, things worked out for me as some cops at a police checkpoint invited me over, pushed a beer can in my hand and swiftly stopped a passing car, ordering the couple inside to take me along to town. I felt a bit bad about this, but when I tried to apologize, my benefactors told me they didn’t mind 😅.
See Also
Visiting Wat Pa Maha Chedi, Thailand’s Unique Million Bottle Temple