Wat Thawet
A small Buddhist Hell Garden near Sukhotai

By Fida Wild
Wat Thawet is a small but eccentric little Buddhist Hell Garden. Phra Sumroeng Thamanantho (1928 – 1995) cast his dreams in concrete and created a little gem of a Buddhist Learning Garden.

It’s still one of a few insider-tip places to visit in Thailand. Even my tuk-tuk driver had to ask for directions.

At the entrance, I meet the monk and he instantly takes me under his wings. He speaks little English and I even less Thai. I fear I insulted all his family by the time we arrive in the atrium - a cool place out of the burning Thai sun.

Phra Sumroeng’s Son

Since I am a tad taller than he - yes, that happens once in a decade - he invites me to sit down in one of those tiny Thai chairs more suitable for small children. A young helper brings tea and biscuits, which the monk serves with elegance and in tiny earthenware cups. We smile a lot and gesticulate even more but manage a lively conversation.

He tells me his father's story. Inspired by a dream, Phra Sumroeng began creating his version of a Buddhist Hell Garden in 1976. He started by renovating a tumbledown monastery, recycled what ever he could find, from bottles to weather-beaten wood and discarded building materials. He planted teak trees to stop the erosion - an enormous undertaking for one man alone. The result is a little gem of wonder and folk art.

Wat Thawet, Sukhothai

Phra Sumroeng died at the early age of 67, but not before he had built his own tomb on the premise of Wat Thawet. He left his life's work to his son - a tremendous responsibility that he takes very serious. He tells me that he didn't inherit his father's vision nor artistic ability and sees himself merely as the one responsible to conserve his father's work of art.

There is always something to repair, to repaint or rebuild at Wat Thawet. He gets help from locals, he tells me with a smile, because for them, work at a monastery is a form of merit making. Sometimes students and tourists come and stay for a while. It's challenging, he says, to get enough paint or building material to keep everything in shape.

Although there is not any mention of a donation and he doesn't charge an entry fee - gifts of money or material are welcome. He says, he is only a simple monk and not an abbot like his father was. Therefore, he's not financially supported by his order and relies on the goodwill of others.

I wander off through Phra's dream inspired creation, innocently called Buddhist Learning Garden. Life sized statues illustrate Buddha's life and the story of Ramayana. I learn that every different posture of a Buddha - standing, laying, sitting - has its own meaning.

All in all there must be over 100 life sized statues of people and animals lovingly painted and carefully placed. The lovely pagodas are intricately embellished with flowers, snakes, and all kind of flimsy decorations in brilliant colours with lots of gold like a somewhat overly decorated birthday cake. It's a lovely sculpture garden to kick back, away from the tourist crowd.

Sculpture Garden

Suddenly and without forewarning, I step into the middle of hell. 20 figures depict the karmic punishment of afterlife, not made for the faint. Naked men and women sit in front of the Death King and have their deeds checked, awaiting their adequate punishment. Here as elsewhere, women receive a harder punishment for abortion or adultery than men and a wife is punished for killing her husband, but not visa versa.

Punishment varies in harshness according to the sins committed. I see firsthand what will happen to selfish people and sinners. Gluttony, hatred, greed and anger are severely scolded, as are liars and thieves as well as the happy-go-lucky sort of people. Burning liquids are force fed to alcoholics and burn their innards that spill out of their bellies. Humans who don't respect the environment are turned into animals.

Hell Garden

Not unlike the 10 commandments for Christians and Muslims - Buddhists have precepts, depending on the rank - laypeople five (other sources say six), novice monks ten and adult monks 227. I understand there are 136 pits, or hells, of different states of punishment - the deepest pit is reserved for the once who commit the harshest sins.

Unlike Christians though, where "the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever," Buddhist Hell is not a place of permanence and there is a chance - after severe suffering for a long time - to be reincarnated into a better life.

Many medieval European artists were inspired by hellish life and punishment. Just think of the Seven Deadly Sins by Hieronymus Bosch, Dante's The Divine Comedy or Herrad von Landsberg's "Hortus Deliciarum"

Buddhist Learning Garden

Compared to other Buddhist Hell Gardens, Wat Thawet, one of the oldest, seems to be a less chilling place than, for example, Wat Wang Saen Suk, just a bit south of Bangkok or the Tapan Cave in Phang Nga Town, where the motto seems to be "the more sadistic the better." Horrible scenes are depicted with unimaginable disturbing arenas of cruelty and torture, spilling blood everywhere.

Buddhist Hell Gardens are quite popular by native families and are visited like scary theme parks elsewhere. Learning gardens are weekend destinations used as a pedagogical tool to teach children strict morality by showing them what happens if you live a life in sin and accumulate too much bad karma.

---

Good to Know

Address

What Thawet
113 Wat Thawet
M.4. T. Tuphoung, Srisumrong District
Sukhothai 64120, Thailand
Telephone: ++66-55-613-240

How to get there
To Wat Thawet: approximately 8 km from New Sukhothai

• by songthaew - a small lorry with wooden benches on either side
• by tuk-tuk
• rent a bike

To Sukhothai:

• Daily flights: Shuttle bus from the airport to New Sukhothai (26 km)
• Daily buses to Bangkok and Chiang Mai: They stop a bit outside town, but there are songthaew's running along Bypass Road to New Sukhothai (approx. 2 km)
• Daily trains to Bangkok and Chiang Mai: Again, it's a little bit outside the city, but a tuk tuk will bring you into town

Distance:

• 425 km Bangkok - Sukhothai
• 367 km Chiang Mai - Sukhothai

Where to stay

There are a myriad of guesthouses and hotels in New Sukhothai, and a few in Old Sukhothai - the ancient city and historical park why Sukhothai is mostly visited. Some of the hotels - like Legandha, the Sukhothai Heritage Resort and and Ananada Museum Gallery Hote are far out of New and Old Sukhothai, though they provide drivers. June to February is tourist season (with no Mosquitos in the winter month), so make sure you call ahead to make a reservation wherever you plan to stay.

© Lotus Village, Sukhotai

Lotus Village

170 Thanon Ratchathanee Street
New Sukhothai, 640000
Thailand

Picturesque grounds, lush garden - convenient and quite location.Tan, the owner grew up in the house on stilts over a pond for cooling, where I slept on a typical thin Thai mattress. She and her husband Michel, a French countryman, met while working for Air France. They bought Tan's Parents home and transformed it into a guesthouse, building many more Thai stilt houses on the premise. It's kept authentic, like a Thai family house - which means no telephone in the austere and sparsely furnished rooms with simple bathrooms, some shared. The website looks a tad too boutique which it is not. I loved the place, lizards and all (they help with the mosquito's :)and would go back anytime. Tan and Michel were very helpful.

• Find the best deal, compare prices,
  and read what other travelers have to say

For exchange rates click here

Riverhouse

7 Soi Wat Kuhasuwan Road
New Sukhothai, 64000
Thailand
Telephone: ++66 (055) 620-396

It doesn't get anymore authentic than this. It's a traditional teak Farmhouse where you will get a firsthand taste of Thai life of the olden days. Mattresses on the dark wood floors with mosquito nets, bare rooms. The main house is enchanting and much nicer than the bungalows, though the latter have A/C. Fan and shared bath. Free pickup from the bus station, but call ahead.

Rates: Thai Baht 120 - 400
For exchange rates click here

© Tharaburi Resort, Sukhotai

Tharaburi Resort

11/3 Srisomoon Road
Thani, Muang
Old Sukhothai, 64000
Thailand

This is a charming modern Thai style Hotel close to the World Heritage Site of Sukhothai with all the conveniences you can expect from a contemporary hotel. Swimming pool and a good Restaurant, so you don't have to drive into New Sukhothai which is about 12 km away. 10 minute walk to the site or rent a bike and bicycle around, since the park is quite large.

• Compare Hotel Prices for the Tharaburi Resort Sukhothai


• Click here for reviews

For exchange rates click here

More Hotels and Tours to Sukhothai

• Compare Hotel Prices for Sukhothai
• Click here for reviews at TripAdvisor
• Interested in organized tours? Click here for Tours to Sukhothai

Of Interest

Sukhothai "Dawn of Happiness"
Every cultural interested traveler ought to see Old Sukhothai, the first capital of Siam. It reached its power and wealth around AD 1300, the golden age of art, architecture, and Buddhism. King Ramkhamhaeng devised the first Thai alphabet, and apparently, taxes were unheard of.

The World Heritage Park is approximately 12 km away from New Sukhothai, where most of the hotels and guesthouses are located. The park itself is very large and the remains of the ancient city are wide spread. It's advised to rent a bicycle to see everything or take a guided bus tour.

Boon Lotus Elephant Sanctuary
The Sanctuary is about an hour away and well worth a visit!

---

Other Hell Gardens

• Wat Wang Saen Suk - Thailand (apparently the largest one, whereas Wat Thawet is older. See also Buddhist Hell (or Heaven) by Richard Barrow
• Garden of Hell, Seraburi
• Saigon amusement park
• Wat Bha Rak Roi in Nakhon Ratchasima (Northestern Thailand)
• The Taoist-buddhist Jade Emperor (Ngoc Hoang) Pagoda in Saigon
• Aluvihara Monastery in Matale (Sri Lanka)

Books

• Garden of Hell by Nick Wilgues
• Phantasmagoria: Spirit Visions, Metaphors, and Media into the Twenty-first Century by Marina Warner
• Fantastic Metamorphoses, Other Worlds: Ways of Telling the Self by Marina Warner
• Gathering Leaves and Lifting Words: Histories of Buddhist Monastic Education in Laos and Thailandby Dr Justin Thomas McDaniel
• Fantasy Worlds by Deidi Von Schaewen and John Maizels, Taschen America, LLC, 1999

Tweet 

---

---

---

Return to Top of Wat Thawet
Return to Unusual Shrines
Return Home to Unusual Travel Destinations

---