The underwater temple beckons

From the bank of the Sam Sop River you can see the top of Wat Wang Wiwekaram.

There's something else you notice at Sangkhla Buri when the tide is low, besides the Mon Bridge and the golden Buddhakaya. From the bank of the Sam Sop River you can see the top of Wat Wang Wiwekaram. The rest is underwater.

You can pick out the spired tip of the bell tower and other parts of the monastery.

The temple was submerged - along with all the surrounding homes and farms - when the Khao Laem Dam was completed and a reservoir created in 1984.

The large Mon community moved on, splitting in half and resettling in two new villages - Upper and Lower Wanga.

Wat Wang Wiwekaram was built six decades ago by the revered Burmese monk Utama.

It was he who led Burmese and Mon refugees into Thailand and to their new home in Sangkhla Buri, and he who built the 900metre wooden bridge commonly known as the Mon Bridge.

It's been called the world's longest manmade wooden bridge, and the late abbot is now honoured as a cultural hero.

The old temple is completely underwater in the rainy season, but in drier times of the year you can muster five or more companions and hire a longtail boat for Bt600 to cruise down the river.

Ask the skipper to dock at one of the islands near the temple so you can take a better look around. The setting is serene, an ideal spot to savour some nostalgia and give a thought to our shared BurmeseThai heritage.

This is a temple like no other.

XTRA

Cast off

Longtail boats are for hire anywhere in the village until late afternoon.