Wat Maha But

Wat Maha But is a Buddhist temple located on On Nut Road in the Phra Khanong area of Bangkok, Thailand. Dating to 1762 in the late Ayutthaya period, it is nationally famous as the home of the Mae Nak Phra Khanong shrine, dedicated to the legendary ghost Mae Nak. The temple complex sits along Khlong Phra Khanong and includes an ordination hall, shrine buildings, and a canal-side market, attracting visitors interested in folklore, merit-making, and local culture.

Visitors can expect a compact, active Buddhist temple compound along Khlong Phra Khanong with an ordination hall (ubosot), vihara, and the separate Mae Nak shrine hall housing a statue of Mae Nak and her child. The grounds include offering stalls, a canal-side walkway, and a small market selling food, amulets, toys and traditional dresses offered to Mae Nak. The atmosphere is that of a local community temple with merit-making, prayer, and photography in outdoor areas.

Built in 1762 during the late Ayutthaya period, before Bangkok became the capital. The temple is historically associated with the reign of King Rama IV period when the legend of Mae Nak Phra Khanong is set, and has been restored and expanded in the Rattanakosin era.

Nationally known as the center of the Mae Nak Phra Khanong folklore, one of Thailand's most famous ghost stories about undying love and devotion. The shrine is a major folk-Buddhist pilgrimage site where devotees make offerings of dresses, toys, lotus and incense to seek blessings for love, safe childbirth, lottery luck and protection, reflecting the blend of canonical Buddhism and local folk beliefs.