Wat Chalong (Wat Chaithararam)
Buddhist temple · Chalong
Phuket's largest and most visited Buddhist temple, founded around 1837, about 8 km south of Phuket Town on the way to Chalong.
Buddhist temple
About Wat Chalong (Wat Chaithararam)
The island's main Buddhist temple, founded in the 1830s and still its spiritual centre. Its 60-metre Grand Chedi, finished in 2001, is covered inside with murals and can be climbed to a terrace over the grounds. Entry is free; the temple opens 7 am to 5 pm and asks for covered shoulders and knees. Most visits take about an hour, often to the sound of firecrackers set off by thankful families.
Also known as Wat Chaithararam, Chalong Temple
As the record has it
Good to know
- What to see
The 60-metre Grand Chedi (Phra Mahathat Chedi, built 1991–2001), its walls and ceilings covered in murals; stairs lead to a terrace on the top floor.
A fragment of bone of the Buddha, shown in a glass case in the chedi.
Local families setting off firecrackers to give thanks for a wish granted.
- Dress code
Covered shoulders and knees: no short skirts, shorts or sleeveless tops.
- How long a visit takes
About an hour.
Chalong district