Thailand Guide
The central plains
The Arunyik Temples
Opening time: Daily 6am–7pm
Price: B100, or B150 including Old City temples
Address: Immediately north of the Old City walls, part of the Historical Park; 100m along Highway 101 from behind Wat Phra Kaeo
The dozen or so ruins in the forested area north of the city walls are all that remains of Kamphaeng Phet's arunyik (forest) temples, built here by Sukhothai-era monks in a wooded area to encourage meditation. It's an enjoyably tranquil and atmospheric area to explore if you have your own wheels, with the tumbledown structures peeking out of the thinly planted groves that line the access road.
Though Wat Phra Non is otherwise known as the Temple of the Reclining Buddha, you need a good imagination to conjure up the indistinct remains here into the once enormous Buddha figure. Gigantic laterite pillars support the hall that houses the statue; far more ambitious than the usual brick-constructed jobs, these pillars were cut from single slabs of stone from a nearby quarry and would have measured up to 8m in height.
The four Buddha images of Wat Phra Sri Ariyabot are in better condition. With cores of laterite and skins of stucco, the restored standing and walking images tower over the assembly hall, while the seated (south-facing) and reclining (north-facing) Buddhas have been eroded into indistinct blobs. The full-grown trees rooted firmly in the raised floor are evidence of just how old the place is.
Crouched on top of a laterite hill, Wat Chang Rob, the "temple surrounded by elephants", retains only the square base of its central bell-shaped stupa. Climb one of its four steep staircases for a view out over the mountains in the west, or just for a different perspective of the 68 elephant buttresses that encircle the base. Sculpted from laterite and stucco, they're dressed in the ceremonial garb fit for such revered animals; floral reliefs can just be made out along the surfaces between neighbouring elephants – the lower level was once decorated with a stucco frieze of flying birds.