Hikers stumbled upon an abandoned Buddhist temple deep inside a forest in southern Thailand.

Pongpat Rungkasam, 31, found the stone religious building while travelling through the wilderness in Mueang District in Chumphon province on November 15.

A shrine with a golden statue was also discovered sitting in the area, which was overgrown with trees and bushes.

Pongpat said: 'It's not clear why the temple had been abandoned. I thought it looked beautiful with the trees growing around it.

'It would make me happy if authorities came and took care of the place.'

Pongpat said there were wild animals living inside the temple. They included cobras, lizards and spiders.

Locals believe the temple was built in the 1940s or 1950s before it was abandoned. Rock benches with the Buddhist year B.E. 2514 - indicating they were made in made in 1971 - were also found around the structure.