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.