Driving from Hat Yai to Bangkok by rental car gave me the freedom to see Thailand, and for World Heritage Site enthusiast, a stop at Wat Phra Mahathat Woramahawihan in Nakhon Si Thammarat. The temple is a landmark of southern Thailand. The first thing that caught my attention was the temple’s majestic white chedi, towering above the grounds. Its slender form is quite different from the famous rounded Ruwanwelisaya Stupa in Anuradhapura, yet much closer in style to the Thuparama Stupa I once saw there, though here on a larger scale. The golden tip of the spire gleamed brilliantly in the sunlight, adding a dramatic flourish to its elegant profile. Sadly, I could not get close, as the chedi is surrounded by a cloister, but the courtyard more than compensated, it is filled with 158 smaller chedi, each echoing the central one, creating a strikingly harmonious sea of spires.

The Viharn Phra Song Ma, the main hall, is another highlight. Inside, stucco reliefs depict episodes from the Buddha’s life before ordination, while the space is also filled with statues of demons and mythical animals. These figures are rendered in a style distinct from mainstream Thai temple art; bolder, more otherworldly, and unmistakably local. This unique expression is recognized as the School of Nakhon Si Thammarat, a regional artistic tradition that set the city apart. The importance of Wat Phra Mahathat is inseparable from the history of Nakhon Si Thammarat itself. Once an independent and prosperous state, the city thrived on maritime trade routes that linked India, Sri Lanka, and the Malay world. As a result, it became a cultural hub and a center of Buddhist study in the Malay Peninsula, which explains both the temple’s grandeur and its enduring religious importance. Still, I found myself reflecting on its claim as a potential UNESCO World Heritage Site. While the chedi is impressive, it does not feel entirely unique compared with other stupas across Asia. Perhaps the site’s strongest argument lies not in the architecture of one monument but in the continuity of faith, artistic identity, and regional influence that the temple embodies especially from ancient maritime trading.

For me, this stop was not just a break in the road trip, but a meaningful cultural experience. The combination of the temple’s grandeur, its distinctive artistic identity, its resemblance to sacred sites I had seen in Sri Lanka, and the serene environment made it unforgettable. Along with Wat Phra Borommathat in Chaiya, Surat Thani, another temple of great antiquity and regional importance, Wat Phra Mahathat makes an ideal cultural detour for anyone traveling by road between southern Thailand and Bangkok. Visiting both gives a deeper sense of how Buddhism once flourished along the Malay Peninsula and left enduring monuments of faith and artistry. After spending a couple of hours exploring the temple and the city, I continued my drive north toward Bangkok. Wat Phra Mahathat is definitely worth a stop for anyone driving through southern Thailand whether for its history, architecture, or simply to soak in its peaceful atmosphere.