Place of worship
Wat Khiri Wongkaram
Whitewashed hillside temple with a glass-cased, mummified monk that never decomposed after death.
Location
About this audio guide
This guide to Wat Khiri Wongkaram in Koh Samui follows Luang Por Ruam, a monk born near the temple in eighteen seventy-nine who studied in Burma before returning to a life of strict devotion on the island. It traces the economy of devotion that grew up around his glass display case after his death in nineteen sixty-six, from gold leaf offerings to charms sold from his own hair and nails. You will hear how an entire temple, with no ticket booth, has been kept running for decades on exactly these small transactions.
This audio guide was created using AI.