Wat Samphran

Wat Samphran is a temple in Nakhon Pathom province whose main structure is a bright pink cylindrical tower of seventeen storeys, around eighty metres tall, with a giant red-and-green dragon wound around it from base to top - the dragon's body forms a hollow tube containing a spiral stairway, worn in places. The temple was registered in 1985; the height of eighty metres stands for the eighty years of the Buddha's life, and the dragon climbing from bottom to top is read as the journey from hell to heaven. Inside are shrines on the various levels, and the roof terrace at the dragon's head gives a view over flat farmland. It became widely known through social media. It is not on any tourist route, has no facilities, and receives a mixture of local worshippers and photographers. Dress code applies and the site asks visitors not to treat it purely as a backdrop.

The main sights

• The dragon - a green body coiled around a seventeen-storey pink tower.
• The tower - eighty metres, one for each year of the Buddha's life.
• The roof terrace - at the dragon's head, over flat farmland.
• The shrines - on the levels through the tower.

When to go

November to February. Any time of day; it is rarely crowded. Access requires a car or taxi - there is no useful public transport.

Before you go

The stair inside the dragon's body is worn in places. No facilities and no interpretation. It is a working temple and is not set up for tourism; visitors treating it as a photo set are not welcome. Car or taxi only.

Nearby

Phra Pathom Chedi in Nakhon Pathom is west; Bangkok is east.

Key facts