Wat Phra Singh

While there are an awful lot of temples in Chiang Mai, this is the big one—the main city temple and the most prestigious—so if your temple saturation point is low then we’d suggest Wat Chedi Luang and here.

Wat Phra Singh pretty much ticks all the temple boxes: attractive grounds full of old trees, some old bits, new bits, Lanna-style worshipping halls, a prestigious Buddha image, a reclining Buddha, jade Buddha and gold Buddhas, giant stupa, saffron-robed monks, murals, prayer flags and last but not least, sticky rice and ice cream in the car park!

The temple complex houses no less than three viharn where Buddha images are housed, a large ordination/prayer hall, (ubosot), an attractive Lanna-style library and a large main stupa or chedi, as well as numerous subsidiary buildings and smaller shrines and chedis all set in spacious grounds. All in all it’s a large complex and certainly a very pleasant and photogenic spot for a stroll.

The temple is said to date from the mid-14th century, built by the Lanna king Pha Vu to house his father’s ashes. Its name and prestige derive largely from a highly venerated Buddha image, the Phra Phuttha Sihing, which according to legend was presented to Chiang Mai by a king of Sri Lanka, (dates and routes vary, though it is thought it may have passed through Nakhon Si Thammarat on the way).

Several copies were supposedly made of the image, so no one is now certain as to which is the original. With the sackings of Chiang Mai at various times by the Burmese, as well as Ayutthaya, the one now in Wat Phra Singh is highly unlikely to be the original. Another can be seen in the Bangkok National Museum, while a third is housed at a shrine next to the provincial hall in Nakhon Si Thammarat.

Singh means lion in Thai and it is thought that perhaps the image was based on a (now lost) statue based on the lion of Shakya which was housed in the Mahabodhi Temple in India. The viharn is in good condition, having been recently renovated, though the interior murals are badly damaged. A smaller shrine to the rear houses an attractive reclining Buddha image.

The main stupa itself is imposing for its size but lacking in decoration and the open-air shrine behind the stupa is a popular spot for local worshippers. The pulley contraption is to allow adherents—or anyone willing to pay the 20 baht fee—to gain merit by pouring water over the normally out of reach chedi. (The same thing can be seen at Wat Chedi Luang and is possibly a Hindu hangover from the similar pouring of water over the sacred Shiva linga ceremony.)

Wat Phra Singh is conveniently placed near the centre of the old town—at the end of Ratchadamnoen Road, (the one leading from Tha Pae Gate and home to the Sunday Walking Street market), so is within a stone’s throw of most of the other old town temples. There’s a 20 baht entrance fee to enter the main hall and, of course, please remember to dress respectfully.

Best Thailand tours

 Browse tours in Thailand on Tourradar.com

By Mark Ord.
Last updated on 13th June, 2017.