Wat Mahabut (Mae Nak Phra Khanong)

What is it: Mae Nak is not technically a deity. She is a ghost – Thailand's most famous ghost – and this is her shrine, housed inside the large Wat Mahabut temple complex in On Nut. The legend is heartbreaking: Nak died in childbirth while her husband Mak was away at war during the reign of King Rama III. Her spirit – refusing to be separated from the man she loved – haunted the Phra Khanong district until she was eventually subdued by a powerful monk. This famous shrine is a popular visit for pregnant women seeking easy childbirth, men hoping to avoid the military draft and all kinds of people seeking lucky lottery numbers. The shrine itself is a small wooden structure by the canal, draped in clothes and offerings, with a TV perpetually on in the corner – because Mae Nak, it is said, likes watching Thai dramas. 

What to wish for: Lottery luck, love blessings and – if you believe hard enough – genuine good fortune in all its forms. For luck and lottery blessings, the temple opens all night for prayers one day before the lottery draw. The atmosphere on those nights is extraordinary: candles everywhere, fortune tellers lining the alley, fish and birds released into the canal as merit-making offerings.

Time Out tip: On the way through the complex, look out for the enormous Ton Takien tree wrapped in coloured cloth, where people rub the bark hoping to receive lucky numbers. Strange, beautiful and utterly Bangkok.

Wat Mahabut, Sukhumvit 77 (On Nut Rd), Soi On Nut 7, Suan Luang. BTS On Nut. Daily, 7.30am-5.30pm.