Visit Wat Muang (Ang Thong) (Ang Thong)

This temple, located in Ang Thong (about 40 kilometers from Lopburi or Ayutthaya), roughly 10 kilometers from the center of Ang Thong, is best known for its immense, 95-meter-high and 63-meter-wide golden seated Buddha, the Phra Buddha Maha Nawamin. The statue was completed in 2008 after more than 15 years of construction. It is currently the largest Buddha in Thailand (like all records, it will one day be broken) and one of the largest in the world. The most striking feature is the Buddha's right hand, which visitors and worshippers can touch from a small platform, making them appear quite small beneath it. Posing under this hand is THE photo to take when you visit Wat Muang in Antg Thong!

Besides the imposing statue that dominates Wat Muang, there are other wihaans (spirits) and statues in the garden, including a square representing Buddhist hell with two large ghosts and scenes of torture behind them depicting the punishments of damned souls: half-human, half-demon beings, figures with oversized tongues, the damned suspended or being devoured.

This temple is very popular with Thais and still relatively undiscovered by foreign tourists. It must be said that Ang Thong, even though it's only a few kilometers from Ayutthaya or Lopburi, isn't on the typical tourist routes. But it's a stop that lovers of impressive photos should appreciate.