Wat Intharawihan

Luang Pho To, the standing Buddha at Wat Intharawihan, is thirty-two metres tall and about eleven wide, begun in the mid nineteenth century under the abbot Somdet To - one of the most revered monks in Thai history and the figure behind the Jinapanjara chant - and not completed until 1927, sixty years after work started. It is finished in gold mosaic and holds relics said to have come from Sri Lanka in its topknot. The temple itself dates to the Ayutthaya period. What distinguishes a visit is what does not happen: it is a working neighbourhood temple in Bang Khun Phrom, twenty minutes' walk from Khao San, with almost no tour groups, no entry charge and no commercial apparatus - people come to make merit rather than to photograph. The statue is best seen from the base looking up, which is unflattering in photographs and impressive in person. Dress code applies as at any temple.

What to look for

• The standing Buddha - thirty-two metres, finished in gold mosaic.
• The sixty-year build - begun mid-century, completed in 1927.
• The Somdet To association - the revered monk who began it.
• The working temple - a neighbourhood site with almost no tourism.

When to go

November to February. Any time of day; it is never crowded. An hour covers it, and it is a twenty-minute walk from Khao San.

Good to know

The statue is hard to photograph well - you are always looking steeply up. There is little else at the temple. Free, with donation boxes throughout. Temple dress code applies.

Nearby

Khao San Road is south; the Bank of Thailand museum and the river are west.

Key facts