Chiang Mai Temple

Wat Phra Singh

There are several magnificent and very old temples within the walled old city of Chiang Mai, with the Wat Phra Singh being one of the most attractive.

The temple, which is also known as the Monastery of the Lion Buddha or the temple of the Lion Buddha is an active temple, with hundreds of monks and novices living there. The Wat Phra Singh houses a number of highly revered and very old Buddha images.

The Wat Phra Singh dates back to the 14th century when Chiang Mai was the capital of the Lanna Kingdom, and is one of the finest examples of classic Lanna style temple architecture in Northern Thailand.

The rear viharn has some beautiful murals depicting scenes from every-day life in Lanna a hundred years ago. Here is housed a copy of the Phra Sihing Buddha Image. There is some exquisite wood carving on other buildings and the scripture repository, where holy texts written into folding books made of bai lan or sa paper, were carefully preserved, is a gem of Lanna art. The senior abbot in Chiang Mai resides at Wat Phra Singh and many important Buddhist ceremonies take place here.

Wat Phra Sing, located on Sam Lan Road, houses the revered Phra Phutthasihing Buddha image cast in Subduing Mara. The Buddha image is now enshrined in Viharn Lai Kham. During the Songkran festival, each April 13-15, people process the most sacred Buddha image around Chiang Mai town for traditional bathing. 
Formerly, this area was a Wat Li Chiang Market until 1345, King Pa Yu, the fifth king of Mengrai Dynasty commanded to built this temple and a 24-feet chedi containing his father’s ashes. The temple compound includes the lovely Viharn Lai Kham featuring exquisite woodcarvings and northern-style murals paintings, a magnificent scriptural repository with striking bas relief, and a circular stupa (in Lankan bell shape).

Wat Bup Pha Ram
A temple in the heart of Chiang Mai associated with many historic miracles. 
Situated on Tha Pae Road, one of the main streets in the centre of Chiang Mai, this temple was founded by King Muan Keow in 1497. Most of the buildings are, however, very recent. The main hall was only completed in 1996 after ten years of work - it can, perhaps, be called an interesting example of modern Buddhist construction and decoration. Other buildings in Burmese and Lanna style fill the compound - the large viharn may date back two hundred years. 

Wat Buppharam, is one of the most beautiful temples in Chiang Mai, about 500m away from the tourist zone at Tha Phae gate. It's glory during sunset when the golden light enhances the warm colors. The site of Wat Buppharam is of historical importance, as it is from here that in 1797 Chao Kawila took back the city of Chiang Mai after 200 years of Burmese rule. The architecture is a mix of Lanna and Burmese style. The building on the photo is the Ho Monthiantham hall, a new structure completed in 1996. There is also a well nearby which supplies holy water for anointing the King. Wat Buppharam have another name as the “Wat Suan Dok”

Wat Chedi Luang

Wat Chedi Luang houses the largest chedi in Chiang Mai. The temple is located right in the middle of the city and was built in the reign of King Saen Mueang Mak, the seventh king of Mengrai Dynasty. The 98-metre tall and 54-metre wide chedi was built in the reign of King Tilokkarat. The construction was completed in 1481.  In 1545 the chedi was collapsed due to an earthquake during the reign of King Jiraprapa.  The chapel in the front was built by Chao Khun Uba Lee Poramacharn (Sirichantathera) and Chao Kaeo Navarat in 1928. The magnificent methodological serpents ramble from the entrance of the chapel to its door on both sides. It is believed that they are the most beautiful man-made serpents in the northern Thailand.

Wat Jet Yod

Located near a major highway, the grounds of Wat Chet Yot are nevertheless green and peaceful. The temple's architecture is patterned after the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodhgaya, India, where the Buddha found enlightenment. The seven spires represent the seven weeks he subsequently spent in meditation there. The temple also incorporates Thai, Lao, Indian, and Chinese influences, giving it a unique but elegant appearance. The rectangular base of the pagoda is decorated with 70 weathered bas-reliefs, considered masterpieces of Lanna art. The temple roof can be climbed, but unfortunately only male visitors can enjoy this privilege.

The temple is unlike any other in Chiang Mai, being of a peculiar Indian design. The seven chedi (Jet Yod) stand on a substantial laterite base in which there is an arched cave containing a Buddha image. The most interesting feature of the temple is the series of seventy, much damaged, but still very beautiful, stucco celestial beings that decorate the walls of the base. Their intricate clothes and jewellery and their lovely smiling faces are Lanna art at its finest.

Wat Phra That Sri Chom Thong

Located on 157, Chiang Mai-Hot Road, Baan Luang Sub-District, Chom Thong District on Km.58. Wat Phra That Si Chom Tong is the Burmese-style chedi and said to contain a relic of the Buddha. The viharn was built to a cross-shaped floor plan. The tastefully arranged, gilded wood carvings on the side gables, cornices and portals, as well as the ornamentation of the teak columns and beams inside, are of outstanding artistic quality. The viharn also contains a richly decorated altar in the Burmese style with two equally ornate tusks and various statues of Buddha. The seated bronze Buddha is highly revered.

Wat Phan Tao

The Wat Phan Tao is one of the older temples of Chiang Mai found in the old walled center of the city. The first structures were likely built towards the end of the 14th century.
Wat Phan Tao, meaning temple of a thousand kilns, probably derives its name from the ovens used to cast Buddha images for another temple, the Wat Chedi Luang, which is immediately next to the Wat Phan Tao.
The viharn of the Wat Phan Tao was originally a Ho Kham, a throne hall for one of Chiang Mai's Kings built in 1846.
After a new King ascended the throne, the Palace Hall was most likely torn down to make way for a new Palace building. The wooden panels of the old structure were used to build the viharn of the Wat Phan Tao in the year 1876.

The viharn is an all wooden building constructed from teak panels set on a stone base. It is one of the few remaining all wooden structures of its sort in Chiang Mai. It has a three tiered roof with golden colored chofa's (roof finials) shaped as stylized Naga snakes on its roof ends. The front facade of the viharn is particularly beautiful. The gilded pelmet over the entrance show intricately carved Lanna flower motifs. Over the pelmet is a gilded carving of a peacock over a crouching dog. Naga serpents and other mythological figures are also depicted. Both the pelmet and the peacock carving are gilded and inlaid with colorful mosaic glass. The dog in the motif represents the Zodiac figure of the Chiang Mai King who originally used the building as a Palace.Inside the viharn large red painted teak pillars support the building. Long woven banners hang from the viharn ceiling. Opposite the entrance is a large golden sitting Buddha, the Wat Phan Tao's principal Buddha image.The interior of the viharn contains several interesting items. Among them are a number of old wooden boxes decorated with gold leaf containing old Dhamma texts. These are the Buddhist scriptures written on palm leaves. On the left hand side is an ornately carved wooden , a Buddha throne used to enshrine important Buddha images.

Wat Phra That Doi Suthep

This temple is one of the most famous Buddhist shrines in the region. A visit is a must for all Buddhists who come to Chiang Mai. Legend has it that an especially holy relic was brought to Chiang Mai in 1371. To decide where it should be enshrined, it was placed on the back of an elephant, which promptly set out to climb the mountain. It finally came to rest and there the relic was buried. The first chedi was built over it and the temple has been continually expanded and embellished ever since. This temple is located on top of the Doi Suthep mountain, some 15 kilometers out of Chiang Mai. From the carpark there are two ways to reach the temple. The first is a 309 step pretty vertical climb up the mountain. The stairs are flanked by huge Naga creatures. The Naga is an underwater creature from Buddhist mythology in the form of a large snake. If you don't feel like climbing, there is a cable car to take you up in comfort.The temple is approached on foot by climbing a steep Naga staircase comprising 290 steps. The less energetic may ascend by railcars. The temple’s pagoda contains holy Buddha relics, and attracts Buddhist pilgrims from all over the world throughout the year. The temple compound offers an exhilarating view of Chiang Mai city and surrounding countryside.

About Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai, a city surrounded by a ring of mountains, has weathered seven hundred years of fascinating history. Chiang Mai has its own very distinctive culture, arts, festivals, and traditions as well as an exciting mix of local, ethnic as well as expatriate communities from all over the world. It has been voted one of the top destinations to live in Asia and is a modern and cosmopolitan city, while not having lost its traditional old charm. The city is home to over 300 temples dating as far back as the 13th century. Within half an hour's drive in every direction there are also museums, ancient ruins, national parks, waterfalls, mountain trails, and other unique and beautiful attractions. It is almost impossible to tire of its multitude of eclectic delights as Chiang Mai offers something for everyone from nature lovers, culture vultures, adrenalin junkies to those who just wish to lie back in a luxurious spa and be pampered

Chiang Mai is a city of such variety: in people, with its population of Lanna, Thai, expatriate and hill tribes; in culture, with its traditions, festivals, and parties; in beauty, with its temples, pagodas, mountains and waterfalls; and in impressions, with its deep rooted Buddhism, spas and meditation retreats as well as its astonishing nature and scenery.

Festivals & traditions

The Chiang Mai Flower Festival (February)

The city’s location allows Chiang Mai to enjoy a large variety of floral species. Besides having a tropical climate suitable for raising of such flowers as orchids, its high-altitude areas and cool winters allow it to be home to cold weather flowers such as carnations. Through the years, as Chiang Mai became more widely known for its magnificent array of floral beauty, it eventually gained the title of ‘The Rose of the North’. Though much of Chiang Mai’s diverse floral beauty can be witnessed in nature, nowhere is it more impressively accentuated than at the Chiang Mai Flower Festival.

Once a year the streets of Chiang Mai  in the Flower Festival commences. 

Towards the end of the cool season, in early February, Chiang Mai is looking its best. Everywhere there is a riot of colour as temperate flowers such as asters, salvias and marigolds come into full bloom to join the tropical orchids and bougainvilleas. 

This is the time when the glorious Flower Festival takes place. Some fifty villages as well as other private and government organisations compete to create the most spectacular floral floats. These are covered overall with flower heads in intricate designs and made in the shape of dragons, castles, mountains and so on. Atop each float sits a beautiful girl dressed in sumptuous northern Thai costume. If you come at the time of the festival do not forget your camera there are many great shots to be taken. 
The procession wends its way slowly through the streets of the city, which are lined with throngs of people cheering their favourite competitor. When the procession finally reaches Suan Buak Had Park, the flowers and the girls by now somewhat limp from the heat, the winners are announced.

At the Park there are competitions for various categories of flowers, fruit and vegetables, for flower arrangements and miniature gardens as well as hundreds of stalls selling everything you can imagine. You will be able to have fun browsing the festival’s array of food and drink stalls and also buying some inexpensive knick-knacks to take home. This is a great time to experience something that Thai people do best, which is to hold events and enjoy them with friends and family. The festival is very popular and hotels are generally rather full so be warned to book in advance. 

Songkran Festival (April)

Songkran is a Thai traditional New Year which starts on April 13 every year and lasts for 3 days.  Songkran festival on April 13 is Maha Songkran Day or the day to mark the end of the old year, April 14 is Wan Nao which is the day after and April 15 is Wan Thaloeng Sok which the New Year begins. 

Songkran means “movement” or “changing” since according to Thai astrology, the sun will move into a new sign of the Zodiac on this day.  Songkran is also called the “Water Festival”.  Water is believed to flow and wash away all bad omens during this time.  Thus, it is a time for cleaning; houses, villages, temples and spirit houses.      

In the Thai tradition, the New Year begins early in the morning when faithful Thai Buddhists give alms to Buddhist monks.  After that, they release caged animals, especially birds and fish.  Elders and parents will be visited and respected by their children and grandchildren.  The young pour scented water over their elder’s hands, they in return, wish them good health, happiness and prosperity.  This tradition of paying respect, is called “Rod Nam Dam Hua”.    April 14 is called “Family Day”. 

In the afternoon, Thai Buddhists sprinkle scented water on Buddha images. After that, they sprinkle perfumed water on, or throw clean, cold water over each other. Songkran is observed with excitement in the North, especially in the northern province of Chiang Mai. A lot of people from around the country will head up north to participate in the festivals organised there. A Miss Songkran Pageant will be held and a long and beautiful parade will be organised.

Inthakin Ceremony (May or June)

Many towns and cities in Thailand house what is known as the ‘city pillar’ which is made of wood or stone and is often located at the geographical heart of the city. Traditionally, these pillars were created when a new settlement was established. Different regions of Thailand have different names for these pillars, but in the old northern Thai language, the pillars were called ‘inthakin’. Some historians believe the pillars represent a phallus and were created to encourage the fertility of the land which would have been crucial to an agricultural society. These ancient animist beliefs pre-date the arrival of Buddhism in Thailand, but even as Buddhism spread the old traditional beliefs still remained, just as they do in so many aspects of Thai society today.

The annual rites connected with the sao inthakhin or pillar of Chiang Mai City, begin on the 13th day of the waning moon in the eighth Northern lunar moon and continue until the second day of the waxing moon of the ninth month (It is difficult to find anyone who can tell you the exact dates but it is usually sometime in June). What is this famous Chiang Mai ceremony all about and what are its origins?
nthakin Festival is an annual event to worship the city pillar, the Inthakin Pillar, located in Wat Chedi Luang. The pillar is a Buddhist symbol of harmony blessing the people of Chiang Mai. The ceremony involves propitiating spirits who protect the city, maintaining peace and also ensuring enough rain will fall for the upcoming season.

Pu Sae - Ya Sae Ceremony (June)

Pu Sae Ya Sae is a ceremony of Lanna people that will be held in June every year at Wat Phra That Doi Come, Mae Hia, Chiang Mai. A buffalo is killed in a ritual to sacrifice to the ancestors and the medium will be summoned. Pu Sae Ya Sae ceremony is held in purpose to have a seasonal rainfall and rich in food and rice because the area used for this ritual was originally used as farmland. Since the environment has changed, this ceremony is held every year on the belief that it would help to protect people from the plague and bring harmony to the community. 

Pu Sae Ya Sae is not the ritual that inherited only the local people but it is a Lanna ceremony that general people can participate and acknowledge the existance of faith in Pu Sae Ya Sae s soul that help protecting the area and keep a paceful to villagers in Mae Hia.Although Pu Sae Ya Sae is great ceremony of Lanna but this ritual is considered as blind belief and horrible by general people and foreigners. Also, the torture of animals contrary to morality. While there are many people believe in this ritual because there is a Buddhist prayer related to giant.However, people who perform this ritual believed that buffalo is the animal in association with people. Therefore, it can be considered as representative of the people and the supernatural to solve conflicts. Various parts of buffalo can be compared with parts of society that must bring together to meet perfection. After the ceremony, villagers will eat sacrificed buffalo meat together. In addition, they will name their unborn baby after the name of baffalo in return.

Loy Krathong (October or November)

One of Thailand’s most colorful festivals; celebrated every year on the night of the full moon in November. A krathong is a floral float usually the size of a dinner plate. By floating a krathong, supposedly filled with all one’s bad luck accumulated during the past year, down a klong, river, or any waterway, Thais believe that the bad luck will float away and good fortune will fill the coming year.

With cooler weather, the rivers brimming with fresh water at the end of the rainy season, and the harvesting of rice about to begin, northern Thailand celebrates the Loy Krathong Festival especially enthusiastically. In Chiang Rai, even days before the festival begins, fire crackers can be heard everywhere. That evening, a festive parade of giant krathongs is held down the main thoroughfare with spectators lining both sides of the street. Many communities compete for the best-designed float, and for their prettiest girl to be chosen as Miss Krathong.Among the most popular waterways in Chiang Rai, one favorite spot is Chiang Rai Beach located by the Kok River that flows into the Mekong River, but all riverside hotels and resorts organize special Loy Krathong dinner parties for guests to float their krathongs. The climax of the celebration is the lighting of a different kind of float—the hot-air lanterns called “Krong Fai” that float up through the night sky by the thousands.

Thailand info

Thailand, the only Southeast Asian nation never to have been colonized by European powers, is a constitutional monarchy whose current head of state is HM Bhumibol Adulyadej. A unified Thai kingdom has existed since the mid-14th century, and Thailand was known as Siam until 1939 when it officially became the Kingdom of Thailand. 

Thailand is a wondrous kingdom, featuring Buddhist temples, exotic wildlife, and spectacular islands. Along with a fascinating history and a unique culture that includes delectable Thai food and massage, Thailand features a modern capital city, and friendly people who epitomize Thailand’s “land of smiles” reputation.

Thailand is often referred to as a golden land, not because there is precious metal buried underground but because the country gives off a certain lustre, be it the fertile rice fields of the central plains, white sandy beaches or the warm hospitality of its citizenry.

Thailand's cool season runs from November until the end of February. With its low humidity, relatively low temperatures and clear skies, the cool season is the best time to visit, though regular days of high 20s and low 30s might leave you wondering just who came up with the term ‘cool’. It is also the peak tourist season, so expect lots of new friends at the more popular spots like the islands and major towns.

First introductions are made in Bangkok, a modern behemoth of screaming traffic, gleaming shopping centres and international sensibilities interwoven with devout Buddhism.

According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand 55% of the tourists in 2007 came from the Asia Pacific region, Japanese and Malaysians forming the two biggest groups. The largest groups of Western tourists come from the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, the United States and Scandinavia. The number of tourists arriving from Russia is on the rise.Around 55% of Thailand's tourists are return visitors. The peak period is during the Christmas and New Year holidays when Western tourists flee the cold conditions.

In 2011, 1.7 million Chinese visitors traveled to Thailand and this figure was expected to rise to 2 million in 2012. The Thai-Chinese Tourism Alliance Association declared in February 2013 that Chinese tourists are the main supplier of Thailand's tourism industry and 3.3 million Chinese tourists are expected in 2013. The Association has also calculated that the average Chinese tourist remains in the country for one week and spends Bt30,000 (US$1,000) to Bt40,000 (US$1,300) per person, per trip.According to Thailand’s Tourism Authority, the number of Chinese tourists rose by 93 percent in the first quarter of 2013, an increase that was attributed to the popularity of the Chinese film Lost in Thailand that was filmed in the northern province of Chiang Mai. Chinese media outlets have claimed that Thailand superseded Hong Kong as the top destination for Chinese travellers during the 2013 May Day holiday.

Thailand has been receiving increased competition ever since Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam opened up to international tourism in the 1980s and 90s. Destinations like Angkor Wat, Luang Prabang and Halong Bay now contest Thailand's former monopoly in the Indochina region. To counter this, Thailand is actively targeting niche markets such as golf holidays, or holidays combined with medical treatment. Thailand has also plans on becoming the hub for Buddhist tourism in the region.Around 2 million foreigners visiting Thailand for medical treatment are expected in 2009, more than 3 times the amount of tourist visiting for that purpose in 2002.According to Lonely Planet, Thailand ranks second of "Best-value destinations for 2010" after Iceland; the latter having been hit very hard by the subprime mortgage crisis.

Thailand offers a great variety of attractions. These include diving sites, sandy beaches, hundreds of tropical islands, varied night-life, archaeological sites, museums, hill tribes, exceptional flora and bird life, palaces, a huge amount of Buddhist temples and several World Heritage sites. Many tourists follow courses during their stay in Thailand. Popular are classes in Thai cooking, Buddhism and traditional Thai massage. Thai national festivals range from the fun-for-all water splashing Songkran to the almost fairytale like quality of Loy Krathong. Many localities in Thailand also have their own festivals. Famous are the "Elephant Round-up" in Surin, the "Rocket Festival" in Yasothon and the curious "Phi Ta Khon" festival in Dan Sai. Thai cuisine has become famous worldwide with its enthusiastic use of fresh herbs and spices.