Chachoengsao, often called “Paet Riu” by Thais, lies on the Bang Pakong River about an hour east of Bangkok. It is a pilgrimage town first of all: Wat Sothon Wararam houses Luang Pho Sothon, one of the most revered Buddha images in the country, and the province is famous for giant Ganesha statues that draw worshippers from across Asia. Add a 100-year-old riverside market, mango orchards and river cruises, and it is an easy, rewarding day trip.<\/p>\n
Trains on the eastern line from Bangkok stop at Chachoengsao station near the town centre, and vans run from Bangkok. Wat Sothon and the old market are in town; the Ganesha temples and Bang Khla are a short drive away.<\/p>\n
A huge, gleaming white ordination hall on the riverbank houses Luang Pho Sothon, a seated Buddha image believed to grant wishes. Crowds come every day to make offerings; go early on weekdays for a calmer visit.<\/p>\n
Famous for a giant reclining pink Ganesha beside the river, surrounded by smaller deities and a lively atmosphere of worship.<\/p>\n
A large standing Ganesha statue in a park in Khlong Khuean district, one of the tallest of its kind.<\/p>\n
A wooden market along the Bang Pakong River with Chinese shophouses, coffee, snacks and old-style shops, busiest at weekends.<\/p>\n
A riverside temple in Bang Khla with a shrine to King Taksin, close to the site of his victory at Pak Nam Jo Lo; the temple grounds are also known for the large fruit bats that roost in the trees.<\/p>\n
Boat trips from town run along the river past temples and riverside villages, sometimes towards areas where Irrawaddy dolphins have been seen near the river mouth.<\/p>\n
The town’s spiritual centre beside remains of the old fortified walls.<\/p>\n
A royal development study centre in Phanom Sarakham showing farming projects, with a temple and rock garden nearby.<\/p>\n
Morning at Wat Sothon, late breakfast at Ban Mai market, then drive to Wat Saman Rattanaram and the Ganesha park. In the afternoon, head to Wat Pho Bang Khla or take a river cruise.<\/p>\n
Wat Sothon holds a major annual fair honouring Luang Pho Sothon, with processions on land and water; check the temple’s announcements for dates. Songkran<\/strong> in April brings merit-making and water play in town. Mango season (around March\u2013May) brings fruit fairs. Dates change; check with TAT and read our Songkran etiquette and survival guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n King Taksin’s campaigns passed through this province: the breakout march, including the victory at Pak Nam Jo Lo<\/a>. The full story with maps is on our King Taksin trail site (in Thai).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n It houses Luang Pho Sothon, one of Thailand’s most revered Buddha images.<\/p>\n At Wat Saman Rattanaram, by the river outside town.<\/p>\n Yes, eastern-line trains stop at Chachoengsao station.<\/p>\n Mangoes in season and snacks at Ban Mai market. See our Chachoengsao food guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n Cover photo: Wat Sothon Wararam Woraviharn in Chachoengsao.jpg<\/a> \u00b7 Preecha.MJ \u00b7 CC BY-SA 4.0<\/a> \u00b7 Wikimedia Commons<\/small><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Chachoengsao guide: Wat Sothon Wararam, the pink Ganesha at Wat Saman, Ban Mai 100-Year Market, Bang Khla, river cruises and a 1-day route.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5781,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[172],"tags":[],"province":[243],"class_list":["post-5780","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-attractions-en","province-chachoengsao-en"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5780","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5780"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5780\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5839,"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5780\/revisions\/5839"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5781"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5780"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5780"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5780"},{"taxonomy":"province","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/province?post=5780"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}On King Taksin’s trail<\/h3>\n
Travel tips<\/h2>\n
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FAQ<\/h2>\n
Why is Wat Sothon so famous?<\/h3>\n
Where is the pink Ganesha?<\/h3>\n
Can I visit by train?<\/h3>\n
What should I eat?<\/h3>\n
More from songkran.com<\/h2>\n
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