Wat Ban Rai supports a number of ornate buildings including the Museum Mönches Luang Phor Khoon but the most visually striking is Wihan Thep Witthaya Khom, a building within an artificial lake consisting of a model of a large elephant. This is made with 20 million pieces of ceramic tile beautifully adorned. The elephant is 'Airavata' which carries in mythology the Hindu god Indra. Due to the building's massive size, there is an internal spiral ramp that allows access to three floors. With the addition of a viewing area at the top, accessed by a staircase and a basement area the total building consists of five floors. The is disabled access via a lift.
Unusually for a religious building of this type, it's supprising that on the three middle floors there is a narrative in English which gives a sense of what this wihan represents. Effectively it is the history of Buddhism over two and a half millennia. The key dates that have brought Buddhism to this point, are all recorded here. This means that not only is this a centre for religious study but an historical record in its own right.