Wat Chai Mongkron (Mongkol)

From the outside, it's such a modest complex, you can hardly believe it takes up 10 acres of land. Bordered by 2nd Street and hidden by shops and facades, the main entrance to the temple is on South Pattaya Road. This is quite an interesting temple, well worth spending half an hour to visit and learn the history.

First established in 1937, the pagoda was built on private land, donated by a local benefactor. It was not until 1954, when the temple was granted land by the royal family, and expansion began.

The temple has grown through the gradual expansion of more than 30 buildings on the same site. These include pagodas, monks' quarters and schools, massage schools, and crematoriums. This is an active temple with monks living and working here.

One of the two main Buddha statues, the Chaimongkol Buddha, dates back to the old Ayutthaya empire and is believed to be about 350 years old. The second statue, Chinraj Buddha, is the head of Chaimongkol Temple.

In January 2013, the pagoda was officially designated a royal temple. This makes it the leading Buddhist institution in the region.

Wat Chai is also known for the shopping available at the market held daily. You will find clothing, food vendors and many other items on offer. This is a popular place for local Thais to shop.

On special occasions, the temple grounds turn into a place of celebration. Buddhist holidays such as Thod Kathin Festival (end of Buddhist Lent), Visakha Bucha Day, and New Year are major events at the temple. Thais come from all over to make merit, remember and celebrate.

For some reason there is confusion about the proper name of the temple. Some people call it Wat Chai Mongkol others Wat Chai Mongkron and others Wat Chai Mongkhon. So what's behind the confusion?

Part of it probably involves translating from Thai to English and trying to spell words phonetically. However, it has another reason.

As you can see from this photo, the signboard outside the temple clearly states Wat Chai Mongkron Royal Monastery. It is quite difficult to argue about the legitimacy of the sign. The name Chaimongkron comes from the name of the chief monk of the monastery when it was founded.

However, inside there are signs depicting the ChaiMonkol Buddha placed inside the temple. So this spelling also makes sense. Is it something completely different or just another translation into English? There is a Wat Chaimongkol temple in Ayutthaya where the main Buddha image originates, which can cause confusion about the name of the temple.

If you are looking for something to do while in Pattaya, you should quickly visit this temple for 30 or 40 minutes. Take a stroll around the grounds and tour the buildings on the grounds. You will be one of the few foreign tourists to do it during your trip to Pattaya.

Opening hours: 07:00 - 18:00

Ticket price: free