🔄 Updated 21 Jun 2026
If you've seen the bodhi trees at ordinary temples and figured they all look about the same, standing under the Sri Maha Pho bodhi tree at Si Mahosot changes that fast. This one is big enough that you have to tilt your head back to take it in, with roots and branches spreading so wide they shade the whole courtyard. People who come here say the same thing: they came for the calm and the sheer age of the tree, not for any grand architecture.
Why this bodhi tree is special
The Sri Maha Pho bodhi tree stands in Wat Ton Pho Sri Maha Pho, in Khok Pip subdistrict, Si Mahosot district. It's said to be the oldest living bodhi tree in Thailand, thought to be a descendant sapling of the Sri Maha Bodhi tree at Bodh Gaya in India, where the Buddha attained enlightenment, and it's reckoned to be more than 2,000 years old. Its age and historical value led the Fine Arts Department to register it as a historic monument — the only tree in Thailand to be registered this way.
- Trunk size — roughly 20 metres around, so it takes several people joined together to circle it
- Height — about 30 metres, with a crown that spreads out to shade the whole courtyard
- Origin — believed to be a sapling descended from the bodhi tree of enlightenment at Bodh Gaya, arriving through the Buddhist tradition passed down via Sri Lanka and the ancient Khmer
- Status — registered as a national historic monument by the Fine Arts Department
Honest heads-up before you go
If you're expecting a big, ornate temple, this place may feel simpler than you imagined. The draw here is the ancient tree itself and the quiet atmosphere — come for that and you won't be disappointed.
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Highlights — what's there to see
Sri Maha Pho bodhi tree
The star of the show — a huge bodhi tree thousands of years old, with several Buddha images in different poses set around its base for visitors to pay respects. This is where people come to bow and sit quietly in the shade.
Main pagoda
The temple's pagoda, modelled on the shape of the stupa at Bodh Gaya in India and decorated with fine patterns. It photographs nicely paired with the bodhi tree.
Worship area around the base
The shaded ground around the foot of the bodhi tree — a good place to sit quietly, apply gold leaf, make merit, and walk around looking at the Buddha images circling the trunk.
More to see around Si Mahosot
The nice thing about this area is that the sights sit close together, within a few kilometres of each other. The temple is inside the ancient city of Si Mahosot, a Dvaravati-era settlement with historic ruins scattered across several spots, so you can easily stop at one and keep going for half a day to a full day.
Sa Morakot historic site
An ancient pond with a pair of Buddha footprints carved into laterite. When the lotuses bloom, the water surface fills with flowers — a natural pairing with the bodhi tree temple.
Sa Kaeo–Sa Khwan
Ancient ponds cut down into laterite, with walls carved with animal figures like elephants, lions, and dragons. These were sacred wells once used in royal ceremonies.
Ancient city of Si Mahosot
An egg-shaped Dvaravati city ringed by an earthen moat, with more than a hundred ruins and mounds spread across several hundred rai inside.
Getting there, opening hours, and tips
- Location — Wat Ton Pho Sri Maha Pho, Khok Pip subdistrict, Si Mahosot district, Prachinburi province
- Opening hours — roughly 06:00–18:00, open all day
- Getting there — from Prachinburi town, take Highway 319 (Prachinburi–Phanom Sarakham) for about 22 km, then turn left and continue about 1 km more. Your own vehicle is by far the easiest way
- Admission — free to enter the temple; there's a donation box for those who wish to give
- Best time — early morning or late afternoon, when the sun is gentler and the light is soft for photographing the big tree
Photo tip
To get the whole bodhi tree in frame, step back a fair distance and shoot vertically — that way you capture both the height and the crown. For a shot of someone next to the base, get up close so the scale of the trunk really shows.
Plan the rest of your Prachinburi trip from here
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