Wat Maha Samanaram sits on the eastern shoulder of Khao Wang, within the Phra Nakhon Khiri compound, and contains some of the finest mural paintings in Thailand. The murals inside the ordination hall are the work of Khrua In Khong, the most celebrated Thai painter of the 19th century, whose distinctive style blended traditional Thai iconographic conventions with Western perspective techniques he had observed from European prints. The results are unlike anything else in the country — figures with depth and shadow, landscapes receding into distance.
The temple dates to the Ayutthaya period but was substantially renovated under Rama IV. Access is included with the Phra Nakhon Khiri entrance ticket.