Wat Manee Wong, Nakhon Nayok: Exploring the Naga Cave and Underwater City
If you love sacred sites, don't leave Nakhon Nayok without visiting Wat Manee Wong, a temple over 100 years old with a spectacular Naga cave depicting the underwater city and golden walls all around.
Meeting Point Management Team
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Quick answer
Wat Manee Wong is a temple more than 100 years old in Dong Lakhon, Mueang Nakhon Nayok. It is famous for its Naga palace cave, said to be the largest Naga underwater-city cave in Thailand, with a 14-meter-tall Buddha image and over 1,000 Naga sculptures from the four Naga clans. It is open every day.
Key takeaways
- Temple over 100 years old in Dong Lakhon, Mueang Nakhon Nayok
- Naga underwater-city cave, said to be Thailand's largest, with 1,000+ Naga figures
- Phra Maha Chakkraphat Chai Badan Buddha, 9 m lap width and 14 m tall
- Golden walls and gates, a Pa Lelai Buddha (for Wednesday-night births) and Luang Pho Phan Lan
- Open daily: Mon to Fri 07:00 to 17:00, Sat and Sun 07:00 to 18:00
Contents
On this trip we're taking you to Wat Manee Wong in Nakhon Nayok to see the underwater city and its magnificent Naga cave. If you're visiting Nakhon Nayok, skipping this temple would be a real miss, and if you're into sacred sites, it's an absolute must for its wonder and sheer grandeur.
Meeting Point brought back photos from inside the temple to share with you. It's a beautiful temple you shouldn't miss, and it's definitely worth the trip. Bring your partner, friends or family.
About Wat Manee Wong
Wat Manee Wong is an old temple in Nakhon Nayok, more than 100 years old, located in Dong Lakhon subdistrict, Mueang Nakhon Nayok district. The grounds are shady and peaceful, and the temple is home to the Luang Pho Pa Lelai Buddha and Luang Pho Siwali, which Buddhists revere and come to pray to for good fortune.
The Naga Cave
What made this temple famous is the Wang Rattana Manee Maha Nakhon Badan Nakkharat, also known as the Naga cave, where you can pay respects to the Phra Rattana Manee Maha Badan Buddha. It's considered the largest Naga underwater-city cave in Thailand, and the artwork inside is just as beautiful and grand as the outside, with many sacred images to worship.
The temple's beauty is anything but ordinary. The walls and gateways are a gleaming golden yellow and incredibly ornate. The long golden walls are beautifully carved, with Buddha images holding alms bowls set into the openings along the way.
Once you go in through the first gate, you'll find a place to pay respects to Buddha images and statues of the Naga kings Pho Pu Si Suttho and Mae Ya Si Pathumma. Then you walk into the cave. Through the doorway is a huge principal Buddha image named Phra Maha Chakkraphat Chai Badan, 9 meters across the lap and 14 meters tall, in the subduing Mara pose, for visitors to worship. At the top of the cave is another sacred image, the Phra Rattana Manee Maha Badan. Inside are Naga serpents from all four Naga clans and their followers, more than 1,000 in total, sculpted with graceful carved patterns, along with statues of well-known revered monks.
The Pa Lelai Buddha and Luang Pho Phan Lan
An important shrine is the golden Pa Lelai Buddha, seated on a rock with his feet resting on a lotus, his left hand palm down and his right hand palm up. An elephant kneels beside him holding a water vessel in its trunk, and on the other side a monkey offers a honeycomb. This is the Buddha image for people born on Wednesday night, so if that's your birthday, don't miss it.
Another Buddha image you have to visit is the large golden Luang Pho Phan Lan, or Phra Phuttha Rat Manee Si Hathai Naret, enshrined at the top of the hall. Inside this hall are statues of various deities, and every pillar has a dragon sculpture wrapped around it. Stunning and spectacular.
The temple also has a meditation center, so if you'd like to come and practice Dhamma, you're welcome to.
It's another famous temple near Bangkok: quiet, peaceful and truly beautiful. If you get the chance, we recommend stopping by to pay your respects. Its beauty and sacredness draw people from everywhere in a never-ending stream.
Getting There
From Bangkok, take Rangsit to Nakhon Nayok Road (Route 305) past Ongkharak and Bang O junction until you reach Sam Sao junction. Go straight onto Route 3076 along Khlong Mueang. About 5 kilometers from Sam Sao junction, turn right and you'll see the temple.
Wat Manee Wong: Visitor Info
- Facebook: Wat Manee Wong
- Phone: 095 195 5565
- Open daily: Monday to Friday 07:00 to 17:00; Saturday and Sunday 07:00 to 18:00
- Location: Nakhon Nayok to Ban Sang Road, Dong Lakhon subdistrict, Mueang district, Nakhon Nayok
FAQ
Where is Wat Manee Wong and how do I get there?
It is on Nakhon Nayok to Ban Sang Road, Dong Lakhon, Mueang Nakhon Nayok. From Bangkok, take Rangsit to Nakhon Nayok Road (Route 305) past Ongkharak and Bang O junction to Sam Sao junction, continue on Route 3076 along Khlong Mueang for about 5 km, then turn right.
What are Wat Manee Wong's opening hours?
It is open every day: Monday to Friday 07:00 to 17:00 and Saturday and Sunday 07:00 to 18:00. Phone: 095 195 5565.
What is inside the Naga cave at Wat Manee Wong?
A 14-meter-tall Buddha image named Phra Maha Chakkraphat Chai Badan, the Phra Rattana Manee Maha Badan Buddha at the top of the cave, more than 1,000 Naga figures from the four Naga clans, and statues of revered monks.
Is there an entrance fee?
The article does not mention an entrance fee. Please check with the temple before you go.
The Meeting Point management team loves eating, travelling, temple visits and lifestyle. We pick the restaurants, cafes, stays, attractions and temples we have visited ourselves and write about them honestly.
