Wat Phra Borommathat Chaiya, Surat Thani

Wat Phra Borommathat Chaiya stands at Chaiya, north of Surat Thani town, and holds a chedi built in the Srivijaya period - roughly the eighth to tenth centuries - making it one of the oldest surviving structures in southern Thailand.

Chaiya was a major centre of the Srivijaya empire, which controlled the sea routes through the region, and the temple's architecture is quite unlike later Thai styles. A small museum beside it holds sculpture recovered locally.

It is around fifty kilometres from Surat Thani town and is usually visited on the way through rather than as a trip in itself. It is a working temple; dress modestly.