Wat Kamphaeng Laeng

Wat Kamphaeng Laeng, also called Wat Thep Prasat Sila Laeng, lies about 1 km east of the Phetchaburi River. Its name comes from the Khmer laterite sanctuary and the laterite wall (kamphaeng laeng) around it. The Fine Arts Department registered it as an ancient monument in 1935, and in 1954 the temple became a vipassana meditation centre.

Inside the wall stand four Khmer-style laterite towers (prasat): three in a north–south row at the front, the main central tower being the largest, and a fourth behind the main tower.

Sculptures found here, including a four-armed Lokeshvara, a naga-sheltered Vajrasattva and Prajnaparamita, show it was built under Vajrayana Buddhist beliefs in the Khmer Bayon style, in the 18th Buddhist century under Jayavarman VII. It is regarded as the southernmost such sanctuary in Thailand.