Wat Tha Sung

Wat Tha Sung is an Ayutthaya-period temple, but the building people come for is the Wihan Kaeo, the crystal hall, at a temple revived by Luang Pho Ruesi Lingdam, abbot from 1968 to 1992. Its interior is entirely faced in mirrored and cut glass - walls, columns, ceiling - so the space multiplies endlessly in reflection around a set of gilded Buddha images and a hundred-metre-long hall that is genuinely disorienting to walk down. Shoes come off at the door and the floor is glass-cool underfoot. Luang Pho Ruesi Lingdam died in 1992 and his body lies in a glass casket in a separate building, which visitors also enter; the practice of preserving and displaying a revered monk's body is not unusual in Thailand. There is also a large golden Buddha and a museum. It is free, quiet, and few foreign visitors reach Uthai Thani at all.

The main sights

• The crystal hall - a hundred metres lined entirely in mirrored and cut glass.
• The gilded images - the Buddha figures the reflections multiply.
• The abbot's body - Luang Pho Ruesi Lingdam, preserved in a glass casket.
• The quiet - almost no foreign visitors reach Uthai Thani.

When to go

November to February. The hall closes for periods during the day - check hours locally. One to two hours covers the temple.

What to expect

The hall has restricted opening hours and closes in the middle of the day at times. The preserved body is displayed openly and some visitors find it confronting. Shoes off throughout. Photography is limited in places.

Nearby

Uthai Thani town and the Sakae Krang raft houses are close; Huai Kha Khaeng is west.

Key facts