Wat Pha Kho

The coastal Sathing Phra district in Songkhla province of Thailand’s deep south is well off the beaten path, and home to a number of beautiful and interesting treasures.

Wat Pha Kho (or Wat Ratchapraditsathan) is one such treasure; not only because of the beautiful views, statues, architecture and serenity of the grounds themselves – as they are today – but also because of the amazing legend that surrounds the temple.

Somdet Pha Kho is the most revered of the high monks of the south, and not for no reason. The legend says that a band of pirates passing close to the shore one day saw the monk walking along the hillside in his unusual manner and thought they would test him.

They kidnapped the monk and took him to their ship and began to sail away. But the wind went out of their sails and the boat refused to move. They were forced to anchor there for many days until their fresh water had run out.

Somdet Pha Kho took pity on the foolish scallywags and set his left foot out into the salty water, and it all turned into clean, drinkable freshwater. The pirates were amazed and grateful, immediately returning his reverence to the shore. From that day forward the pirates as well as the people in the area all paid homage to the monk.

Sathing Phra is also home to the Khu Khut Waterfowl Park. Home to more than 200 different species of bird, the wildlife refuge sits along the Tha-le Sap Songkhla Lake, Thailand’s largest lake. Covering more than 90,000 acres of beautiful hilly, lakeside, and coastal land the park is one of the best places for bird watchers to visit in the country.

On top of that, Songkhla province is also home to the national bird singing contest, where the different song birds sing against each other and scored based on things like beat and duration. The winning birds are prized for their robust vocal stylings. Sort of like a feathery Thailand’s Got Talent.

Are you planning to go to Wat Pha Kho? You can rent a car and driver in Bangkok.

Note: This amazing picture was no. 10 winner of our WOWtastic Thailand photo contest. The picture is taken by Toh Sai Chen.