Wat Khao Anghan Temple

Wat Khao Anghan Temple is an ancient Buddhist monastery near the town of Phanom Rung.

The ancient monastery was built on top of an extinct volcano that rises 20 kilometers above the surrounding valley. The oldest temple buildings date from the Dvaravati era (IV - VI centuries AD). Khao Anghan complex is considered one of the largest monasteries ever built in Thailand, Cambodia and Laos.

A special peculiarity of the temple complex gives a mixture of different architectural styles – early buildings are similar to Buddhist temples of India, a number of buildings resemble the brightest monuments of Khmer architecture, and later buildings bear a distinct Chinese influence. Several towers were built relatively recently – in 1982.

The exterior walls of the main temple are covered with colorful frescoes telling about the history of Buddhism in Thailand, and you can also see sacred texts written in Eastern and English.