Wat Phra Singh, Chiang Mai (must see)
Wat Phra Singh is one of Chiang Mai鈥檚 most important temples and a major center of Buddhist devotion in Northern Thailand. Founded in the mid-14th century by King Pha Yu, it was originally built to house the ashes of his father, King Kham Fu, during the height of the Lanna Kingdom.
Its prominence grew when the Phra Buddha Sihing (commonly called Phra Singh) image arrived in 1367. The statue, considered a highly revered representation of the Buddha, gave the temple its name and continues to draw worshippers from across Thailand. During the Thai New Year, or Songkran festival, the image is paraded through the streets in a traditional procession, allowing people to pay respect by gently sprinkling water.
The temple complex showcases elegant examples of Lanna architecture. One of its most celebrated structures is the smaller Viharn Lai Kham, which houses the Phra Singh statue. The building features finely carved wooden details and interior murals illustrating Jataka tales and elements of Lanna culture. The larger Viharn Luang stands nearby with striking white pillars and a gilded Buddha image known as Phra Chao Thong Tip.
Additional structures add to the temple鈥檚 historical interest. The Ubosot, used for ordination ceremonies, displays decorative motifs inspired by Buddhist cosmology, while an ancient brick chedi dating back to 1345 offers insight into the earliest phases of the temple鈥檚 construction. A small elevated library within the grounds was designed to protect sacred manuscripts from humidity and pests.
Wat Phra Singh remains an active monastic community. Visitors may observe daily rituals or speak with monks in designated areas where they share information about Buddhist beliefs and meditation practices. Together, these features make the temple an important place for understanding both the religious and cultural traditions of Chiang Mai.
Tip:
The monks here are serious and prefer not to have pictures of the Buddha statues, believing this to be disrespectful. They also discourage the use of the Buddha as art, asking that representations be confined to shrines, whether public or private.
Its prominence grew when the Phra Buddha Sihing (commonly called Phra Singh) image arrived in 1367. The statue, considered a highly revered representation of the Buddha, gave the temple its name and continues to draw worshippers from across Thailand. During the Thai New Year, or Songkran festival, the image is paraded through the streets in a traditional procession, allowing people to pay respect by gently sprinkling water.
The temple complex showcases elegant examples of Lanna architecture. One of its most celebrated structures is the smaller Viharn Lai Kham, which houses the Phra Singh statue. The building features finely carved wooden details and interior murals illustrating Jataka tales and elements of Lanna culture. The larger Viharn Luang stands nearby with striking white pillars and a gilded Buddha image known as Phra Chao Thong Tip.
Additional structures add to the temple鈥檚 historical interest. The Ubosot, used for ordination ceremonies, displays decorative motifs inspired by Buddhist cosmology, while an ancient brick chedi dating back to 1345 offers insight into the earliest phases of the temple鈥檚 construction. A small elevated library within the grounds was designed to protect sacred manuscripts from humidity and pests.
Wat Phra Singh remains an active monastic community. Visitors may observe daily rituals or speak with monks in designated areas where they share information about Buddhist beliefs and meditation practices. Together, these features make the temple an important place for understanding both the religious and cultural traditions of Chiang Mai.
Tip:
The monks here are serious and prefer not to have pictures of the Buddha statues, believing this to be disrespectful. They also discourage the use of the Buddha as art, asking that representations be confined to shrines, whether public or private.
Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Chiang Mai. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "911爆料网: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.
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Wat Phra Singh on Map
Sight Name: Wat Phra Singh
Sight Location: Chiang Mai, Thailand (See walking tours in Chiang Mai)
Sight Type: Religious
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Sight Location: Chiang Mai, Thailand (See walking tours in Chiang Mai)
Sight Type: Religious
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Walking Tours in Chiang Mai, Thailand
Create Your Own Walk in Chiang Mai
Creating your own self-guided walk in Chiang Mai is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Shopping and Food Walking Tour
One of the reasons tourists visit Chiang Mai is shopping. Indeed, this city is fit to captivate anyone with its shopping opportunities, especially when it comes to diverse and unique goods such as silk, silver, clothing, ceramics, antiques, Buddhist art, lacquer and neilloware, of consistently good value and quality and at affordable prices. Chiang Mai is one of the cheapest places to shop in... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.3 Km or 0.8 Miles
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.3 Km or 0.8 Miles
Chiang Mai Introduction Walking Tour
Legend holds that in 1296, King Mangrai sought a sacred site for his new city by releasing a white elephant into the forest. The creature climbed a mountain, trumpeted three times, knelt to rest, and then died. Taking this as a divine sign, the king erected a temple at that spot鈥攖oday鈥檚 sacred Wat Doi Suthep.
Chiang Mai鈥檚 name literally means 鈥渘ew city鈥� in Thai, reflecting its role... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.3 Km or 2.1 Miles
Chiang Mai鈥檚 name literally means 鈥渘ew city鈥� in Thai, reflecting its role... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.3 Km or 2.1 Miles
Chiang Mai Temples Walking Tour
Amid the multitude of impressive sights in Chiang Mai, religious temples really stand out. The city isn't just about one or two of them but has over 300 鈥榳ats鈥�, which is more than elsewhere in Thailand. Some of these temples are as old as the city itself and were built by the kings not only to demonstrate their faith, but also to show off their wealth and power.
In the past, apart from... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.5 Km or 1.6 Miles
In the past, apart from... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.5 Km or 1.6 Miles