Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Macchu Picchu
Peru • 10 days, 9 nights
Peru: Machu Picchu & the Last Incan Bridges
from
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Saquon Barkley Plaque
Kirkkasik Bedesten inside
Kirkkasik Bedesten
Someshwar Temple
Someshwar Temple
Grilled cheese and tomato soup are soulmates.
The Palisades Restaurant
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The local catch is delicious fried as well.
Terry's of Charlevoix
Carlson’s Fishery is a Great Lakes institution.
Carlson’s Fishery
The Cathedral Café maintains the building’s original church exterior.
Cathedral Café
Exterior of the historic Dyffryn Arms pub.
Dyffryn Arms
Most of what’s on the menu here comes from Michigan.
The Glenwood
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Siegfried Tieber specializes in sleight-of-hand magic using small objects, as well as mentalism, which gives the illusion of reading minds.
Does a Magician Really Never Reveal Their Tricks? AO Wants to Know.
10 days ago
Decoy’s wines reflect the terroir of California.
How a Wooden Duck Migrated From the California Wetlands to a Wine Label
13 days ago
There’s more to the French capital than the Eiffel Tower.
Dear Atlas: What Are Some Non-Touristy Things to Do in Paris?
16 days ago
The plants around Liz Dauncey in this photo are not poisonous, but many common garden and houseplants are.
Are Some of Your Favorite Houseplants Poisonous? AO Wants to Know.
23 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Thailand Tambon Pa Fa Wat Pa Thewapithak

Wat Pa Thewapithak

The skeletons, demons, and corpses serve as a warning of the terrors of Buddhist Hell.

Tambon Pa Fa, Thailand

Added By
Catherine Lempke
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
A spooky spirit.   PortableCat / Atlas Obscura User
A spooky spirit.   PortableCat / Atlas Obscura User
A terrifying beast in Wat Pa Thewapithak.   PortableCat / Atlas Obscura User
A witch in the park.   PortableCat / Atlas Obscura User
The entrance to the park, right inside the gate and visible from the highway.   PortableCat / Atlas Obscura User
Horrifying images of death behind the not-so-scary papier-mache figures.   PortableCat / Atlas Obscura User
The mini Angkor labyrinth hides some almost life-size distractions.   PortableCat / Atlas Obscura User
The whole set up: statue, banners, loudspeaker, and donation box.   PortableCat / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Wat Pa Thewapithak, a hellish amusement park located at a Buddhist temple, isn't the only terrifying theme park of its kind. There are Buddhist Hell parks in Singapore, in Vietnam, and all throughout Thailand. Many of the parks are operated by Buddhist temples, where they function as a cautionary tale.

Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike visit the hell parks to see the torture that awaits them in the next life in Naraka, the realm of hell where the worst of the worst spend eons as retribution for bad karma. 

If the generally terrible quality of the statuary isn't enough to frighten you by itself, perhaps its depictions of all the tortures of the hell awaiting unfaithful believers will do the trick. Witness skeletons, demons, corpses, and other monstrosities; behold a variety of tortures (eyes gouged out, entrails spilled, limbs hacked off, torsos impaled).

Each gruesome diorama has a small box where, at the insertion of a 1 baht coin, tinny screams, macabre laughter, and sonorous diatribes will blast from a small loudspeaker. Some of the dioramas are even automated, as the 1 baht coin will also activate motors that will jerkily tug the highly visible strings attached to the statues. 

While there are large and presumably educational banners posted frequently throughout the park, those unable to read Thai will find them unhelpful. Even more unfortunately, caged animals are kept in dark, dingy corners. 

The miniature Angkor Wat labyrinth, on the other hand, is well worth the 90 seconds it takes to duck through its child-size doorways, as it is strewn with some decent recreations of Apsara's and other Buddhist and Hindu iconography, as well as, for an unknown reason, the bust of a stoic Native American chief. 

As with all tourist attractions in Thailand, food and drink vendors abound on site.

Related Tags

Buddhism Amusement Parks Theme Parks Religion Religious Parks Torture Temples Sacred Spaces

Know Before You Go

Wat Pa Thewapithak is a easily visible on the West side of highway 216 running North from the city of Roi Et. It's about 8km North of the city limits; there is no transit available, but if you have a motorbike you will see its brightly coloured walls and gate after about a 10 minute drive. It will be recognizeable as it is really on the highway; you do not need to follow a turn off at all. There is also a small cluster of statues right inside the entrance thanking visitors for coming and welcoming them to the area.

You can get a taxi or tuktuk from the city but it would be wise to negotiate for them to wait for you and bring you back as there are no tuktuks waiting there or in any nearby areas. 200 baht should be the absolute upper limit for a full return journey.

If you're quite adventurous you can walk it, but the highway is busy with a lot of traffic. The shoulder is wide and paved but there are often dogs along the side of the road who have varying degrees of friendliness towards pedestrians.

Community Contributors

Added By

PortableCat

Edited By

Molly McBride Jacobson

  • Molly McBride Jacobson

Published

January 27, 2017

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://wikitravel.org/en/Roi_Et
  • http://www.oneweirdglobe.com/destination-weirdest-temple-thailand-thus-far/
Wat Pa Thewapithak
Wat Pa Thewapithak Pracha Bamrung
Tambon Pa Fa
Thailand
16.130825, 103.626244
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Phaya Thaen Public Park

Nai Mueang, Thailand

miles away

Wat Chai Sri

Sawathi, Thailand

miles away

Wat Sa Kamphaeng Yai Hell Garden

Tambon Sa Kamphaeng Yai, Thailand

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Thailand

Thailand

Asia

Places 122
Stories 13

Nearby Places

Phaya Thaen Public Park

Nai Mueang, Thailand

miles away

Wat Chai Sri

Sawathi, Thailand

miles away

Wat Sa Kamphaeng Yai Hell Garden

Tambon Sa Kamphaeng Yai, Thailand

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Thailand

Thailand

Asia

Places 122
Stories 13

Related Places

  • Wat Sa Kamphaeng Yai.

    Tambon Sa Kamphaeng Yai, Thailand

    Wat Sa Kamphaeng Yai Hell Garden

    Gruesome statues of people reborn in Buddhist hell stand among the ruins of an 11th-century sanctuary.

  • Mahakal Mandir

    Darjeeling, India

    Mahakal Mandir

    At this unique temple in Darjeeling, Hindu and Buddhist practices co-exist harmoniously.

  • Horyuji Temple

    Ikaruga, Japan

    Hōryū-ji

    Home to the world's oldest wooden building.

  • The face of the Buddha.

    Tokyo, Japan

    Ueno Daibutsu

    Only the face remains of this giant Buddha statue, which is said to be a source of luck for students.

  • Conley, Georgia

    Wat Lao Buddha Phothisaram

    An ornate Buddhist temple located in an Atlanta suburb, built by and for the Laotian community.

  • Fanjingshan (Mount Fanjing).

    Tongren, China

    Fanjingshan (Mount Fanjing)

    Two ancient Buddhist temples crown this dramatic rocky pinnacle.

  • Hacienda Heights, California

    Hsi Lai Temple

    An unexpected and peaceful oasis on a hillside.

  • The temple.

    Nachikatsuura-chō, Japan

    Fudarakusan-ji

    A temple made famous by Japanese Buddhist monks who sacrificed themselves at sea.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.