Wat Mahabut (Mae Nak Phra Khanong) — Attraction in On Nut Subdistrict

The shrine of Mae Nak stands next to Klong Phra Khanong, at Wat Mahabut, a large temple on Soi 77 off Sukhumvit Road (On Nut Road). The shrine is a low building under large trees with a roof that encompasses the tree trunks. The main shrine has several minor shrines around it.

A beautiful young woman named Nak, who lived on the banks of the Phra Khanong canal, had an undying love for her husband, Mak.

While Nak was pregnant, Mak was conscripted into the Thai Army and sent to war where he was seriously wounded (in some versions it is the Kengtung Wars, while others are not specific). While he was being nursed back to health in central Bangkok, Nak and their child both died during childbirth. But when Mak returned home, he found his loving wife and child waiting for him. Neighbors warned him that he was living with a ghost but he rebuffed them.

One day, as Nak was preparing nam phrik, she dropped a lime off the porch. In her haste to retrieve it, she stretched her arm to an impossible length to pick it up from the ground below. Upon seeing this, Mak realized his wife was a ghost. That night, Mak sneaked out the house and fled with Nak in pursuit. According to Thai folklore, ghosts are afraid of sticky Blumea leaves so Mak hid behind a Blumea balsamifera (Thai: หนาด; pronounced nat) bush. He then ran into Wat Mahabut temple, which as holy ground, a ghost cannot enter. In her grief, Nak terrorized the people of Phra Khanong, furious at them for causing Mak to leave her. However, a powerful monk captured Nak's ghost; and after confining her in an earthen jar, threw it into the Phra Khanong canal.

There are regional variations to the rest of the story. In one, an old couple new to Phra Khanong find the jar while fishing; in another two fishermen dredge up the jar. In both cases, Nak is freed when the jar is opened.

In alternative versions, a venerable monk named Somdet Phra Phutthachan (To Phrommarangsi) defeats Nak by confining her spirit in the bone of her forehead and binds it to his waistband. Legend says the waistband is currently in the possession of the Thai royal family. Admiral Prince Abhakara Kiartivongse, Prince of Chumphon, also claimed to have had the relic. In another, the monk assured Nak that in a future life she would be reunited with her beloved husband, so she voluntarily departed for the...

Wat Mahabut (วัดมหาบุศย์) is a Buddhist temple in Bangkok, famous for the shrine of Mae Nak Phra Khanong, one of Thailand’s most beloved ghost legends. The temple is small but spiritually powerful, drawing visitors who come to pay respects, ask for blessings, and make offerings to Mae Nak. The atmosphere is calm yet charged with devotion, filled with incense, flowers, and offerings of toys, dresses, and food left for her spirit.

Locals believe Mae Nak grants protection, luck, and especially help in matters of love and family. Many come to pray for good relationships, fertility, or reconciliation. The shrine is well kept, with a sense of intimacy rather than grandeur — a mix of folklore, history, and living faith.

Visiting is easy, located near Phra Khanong canal, and it offers a glimpse into Thai spiritual culture beyond the mainstream tourist temples. It’s not just a temple but also a place where faith, superstition, and love for Mae Nak continue to thrive.

Perfect for those interested in Thai folklore, spiritual experiences, or quiet moments of prayer and reflection. Would you like me to also write you a short blessing/prayer you can say when you go there so Mae Nak looks...

Saw people sharing about mae nak so i go and visit and pray. But this is my first time visit, i don't even know what to do, and i cannot speak Thai the staff there also cannot speak English, and than ii use Google Translate to communicate with them, after that ii use candle and pray but i don't know where to light up the fire the old aunty selling dress saw me look stupid and they laugh at me, please understand tourist come here first time don't know anything, there's noting funny to laugh at it, plz respect tourist also, you can teach but not the right to keep laughing at people. I felt like i look like a stupid down there. I cannot accept people laugh at me like this, so i suggest people go and do research how to pray if your can't speak Thai. I not happy with the staff there keep laughing at me so i minus one star, other than that, i like to pray mae nak. I will be...