Indian tourists sparked outrage when they climbed across a historic Buddhist temple - to steal mangoes.

The pair of ladies plucked the low-hanging fruits while taking a stroll at the ancient Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon temple in Ayutthaya province, on March 3.

Footage shows one of the visitors stepping on a Buddha statue and propping herself up on a brick wall to pick the tropical mangoes. She then handed the fresh fruit over to her companion, seen tucking away the stolen produce in a red bag.

The incident sparked outrage among locals who deemed the women's behaviour 'inappropriate' and illegal, as guests are not allowed to take food from the temple grounds.

A tourist named Kanyawi, 51, said: 'When I saw what happened, I felt shocked. They shouldn't have done that because everything in the temple is considered sacred. They shouldn't touch or tamper with anything without permission.

'Tourists can visit to take pictures or pay their respects but they shouldn't vandalise temple property - whether it's Buddha images, fruit, or other objects - because these items don't belong to them.'

Temple worker Arunee Nonsri, 64, believed the Indians may have visited the temple without a tour guide.

She said: 'Normally, tourists who come to the temple will have a guide, and the guide will warn them about inappropriate behaviour in the temple. There are also signs to inform people about how to behave and dress while visiting.

'This wouldn't have happened had there been a guide to stop them. This incident probably happened around the evening when there were only few tourists. Temple staff also have to take care of other areas in the evening so we likely did not see the women picking mangoes.

'After this incident, we will be more careful and thorough to keep similar incidents from happening.'

Local media reported that the mango tree branches were trimmed following the incident in order to discourage other Indian visitors from taking the fruit.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Thanakorn Thammatha, superintendent of Tourist Police Station 1, said: 'Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya is a tourist city with beautiful historical sites that attract many foreign visitors.

'However, they may not be familiar with the traditions and customs of Thai people. Therefore, we would like to ask everyone to warn any tourists engaging in inappropriate behaviour.'

The Thai government last year implemented a visa-free scheme to boost revenue following the barren pandemic years.

However, angry locals claim the push for tourist dollars has attracted crowds of 'low-quality' visitors from Russia, India and Australia.