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Wat Phra Kaew

Wat Phra Kaew

Wat Phra Kaew is one of the oldest temples in Chiang Rai and was built sometime in the 14th Century. The date of construction of the temple is unknown, but the original name was “Wat Pa Yeah” (Bamboo Forest Temple).

The temple is important to the Thai people because this temple is where the Emerald Buddha was discovered. Hidden by the then King of Chiang Rai, the Emerald Buddha is the most revered image in Thailand.

Wat Phra Kaew / Emerald Buddha History, Chiang Rai Thailand

According to history, the Emerald Buddha was sculpted in 234BC by gods as a gift. Later the image was moved to Sri Lanka. The image then moved to Cambodia and then Thailand. In 1434 AD, lightning struck the temple and the Emerald Buddha was revealed. Since then, the temple has been called Wat Pra Kaew.

Although the Emerald Buddha has since been moved to the Grand Palace in Bangkok, the Thai people still come to this temple to pay their respects to the importance of this temple in their history. The Emerald Buddha is not actually made of emerald, but rather Jade.

Today, there is a 45-centimetre replica of the original image, also carved from jade. The building itself is built in traditional Lanna style with Naga snakes at the entrance on the stairs and a beautiful Viharn. There is a golden Chedi behind the Viharn as well as an orientation hall.

On the grounds of the temple sits a museum which displays artefacts and images from the Lanna Kingdom and visitors are welcome to visit the museum and walk around the temple grounds.

You can find the temple in the west of Chiang Rai city, just 300 metres from the Wat Phra Singh. It is within walking distance of the King Mengrai Monument, which is only 1.6kms away. As with all temples in Thailand, visitors should dress conservatively, with their knees, shoulders and midriffs covered.

About the author

Michael Jones

Michael created and runs the Chiang Mai Travel Hub website, as well as the Holiday Point travel brand that incorporates a network of 16 location based travel information and attraction websites around Australia, Asia, and around the world.

With 25+ years of online experience and a passion for travel (having lived in Chiang Mai for several years and has since visited several times), Michael not only researches and writes content for the website, he also tinkers behind the scenes with the website functionality & design.

Please reach out if you have any questions or suggestions.

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