Koh Samui Temples and Wats

The vast majority of the population consider themselves Buddhists. While the devoutness of their practice varies just as it does with religious peoples throughout the world, the temple remains a cultural focal point for every village. Many of the more high profile Wats in the country have become tourist attractions, but remarkably, the presence of foreign visitors does not seem to distract or disturb those residents who come to pray. On Samui, two Wats are home to the displayed bodies of monks who were mummified some 20 years ago.

Some residents go to the local temple regularly to pay their respects to the Buddha, others go at times of misfortune or when they are visited by doubt and uncertainty. But all Buddhists go sometimes. As everywhere in Thailand, Samui's temples range from the simple to the grand, and the latter attract many thousands of tourists each year.

If you visit a temple, please dress appropriately and be sure and remove your shoes before entering. When sitting or kneeling, be careful not to point your foot directly at the Buddha or worshipers.

Most of the free tourist maps available widely, indicate the locations of Samui's many Wats

This is a newly constructed and very ornate temple just around the corner from the Big Buddha statue. The elaborate entry doors were made from two enormous slabs of Laotian hardwood and are intricately carved with images of the life of the Buddha. Temple artist Jarit Phumdonming spent more than three years adding finer details to the temple's exteriors and it's certainly a kaleidoscope of colour and design. The tradition of temple art dates back centuries and Wat Plai Laem provides a good example of the influences and styles that are still important in modern Thai religious architecture.

The main tourist interest here is in a famous shrine to the mummified monk, known when alive as Loung Por Daeng.

This highly respected monk was preserved for public viewing when he died around 20 years ago and today still sits in a glass case meditating. There is a special gazebo housing the monk and next to his remains you can read your fortune using ancient numerology sticks.

The temple itself is quite modern and located on the opposite side of the road from the Namuang waterfalls not far from Hua Thanon fishing village.

This is a very interesting and ancient temple with an antique Chinese wooden meeting hall within its walls. It also houses the Secret Hall of the Buddhas, that once boasted a fine and valuable collection of Buddha images from around Thailand. Sadly, thieves have slowly but surely made off with the more valuable statues from the collection and the door to the hall now remains permanently locked to protect what has survived their greed. The caretaker will take you to see the Buddhas, and it's still possible to snap a few good photos of the statues which sit in eerie congregation wearing the trademark orange robes of Thai monks. There is also a small cemetery with a number of stone Chedi marking the remains of ancestors passed, including a few foreign monks and practitioners who dedicated themselves to following a Buddhist path. Wat Sumret is located 200m down a concrete road on the left hand side as you leave Hua Thanon village.

A beautiful golden Chedi or pagoda sits on the rocks over looking the sea in the grounds of Wat Laem Sor. The golden effect is actually an optical illusion caused by hundreds of yellow tiles which have been combined to produce an attractive, ornate structure that is well worth a visit.

The Chedi is located in the more remote southern part of the island on the road to Wai Ki Ki bungalows between the villages of Baan Tale and Boon Pang Ko.

Another revered and mummified monk, this one twenty five years old, sits preserved for public viewing at this rural Wat, which is set amid a large area of coconut plantation, and therefore has a peaceful air of times past. The road that leads to the temple, located near Boon Saket in the south, has two large Elephant statues marking the way, and it's a further kilometre under these impressive statues to the temple itself.

A few Kilometres from the Butterfly garden, a steep slope leads up to a small shrine which is dedicated to the lord Buddha's footprint. There are four intricately carved representations, each one within a larger version of the first and the location provides sweeping views across the nearby bays and plains to the mountains. There is no signpost as yet, iust look for the sloping road about 2 km west of the Butterfly garden.

This Wat is also believed to house artefacts of the Lord Buddha and is popular as a location for festivals and performances that sometimes even include stars of television and film. A golden Chedi faces the temple and attracts plenty of local people as a place of worship and meditation. The temple is situated on the beach side of the round island road about 1 km to the south of Grandmother and Grandfather Rocks.