The wat originally dates from the Ayutthaya period when it was called Wat Thong. Situated on the Bangkok Noi canal, it is now known for two different reasons. The first is that it was the site of executions of captured Burmese soldiers. This led to the reporting of ghostly hauntings and was compounded by the discovery of groups of skeletons when building the school next door. How to banish the errant spirits? The solution was to build a spirit house for Thai deceased militaries and charge them with controlling the enemy souls. Obvious, really. The second reason for fame predates and postdates this event. Rama III, overseeing renovations, commissioned the two most famous painters of the day, Kru Thong Yu and Kru Kong Pae to create competing murals on opposite walls in the ordination hall. Who won? It’s hard to say, considering the 360-degree splendour, but their efforts are said to be 80% intact and were used as an inspiration for the opening titles of the recent White Lotus 3 series on Netflix. The wat can be reached by long-tail boat or, it is a short walk from the MRT Bang Khun Non MRT Station - past the school!