The Thai cabinet has recently approved the nomination documents of Wat Phra Mahathat Woramahawihan temple in Nakhon Si Thammarat province for UNESCO World Heritage status, after its inclusion on UNESCO’s tentative list in 2012. The nomination process follows a year-long evaluation timeline, beginning with the dossier submission by 31 January 2025. UNESCO will conduct assessments, on-site evaluations, and reviews over the next year, with a final decision expected in mid-2026. If inscribed, the temple would become the sixth World Cultural Heritage site in Thailand.

Wat Phra Mahathat Woramahawihan is the main Buddhist temple of Nakhon Si Thammarat. Its ancient town was the capital of Tambralinga, a sovereign state in the southern peninsula of Thailand in the early 13th to mid-14th century CE. The principal stupa, Phra Borommathat Chedi, was built in the early 13th century. This gigantic, bell-shaped stupa is the outstanding structure at the temple. Since it is claimed that the Buddha’s relics are contained inside, it has become a sacred place for Buddhists and marks out the site as one of the most important temples of Theravada Buddhism. Nowadays, the stupa and the temple are still a center of traditional Buddhist practices.

Thailand currently has five cultural properties inscribed on the World Heritage List: the Historic City of Ayutthaya, the Historic Town of Sukhothai and Associated Historic Towns, the Ancient Town of Si Thep and its Associated Dvaravati Monuments, the Ban Chiang Archaeological Site, and the Phu Phrabat Historical Park.