Wat Phra Singh Chiang Rai ‘Pay respect to the Lanna-style Lord Buddha statue.’
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Temples are good place to go when you feel terrible. You may go to pray, pay respect to a Lord Buddha statue, or make merit to make yourself feel better. Or, even you always feel happy, you can still visit a temple to have a sightseeing or have a quiet moment with your family.
Chiang Rai is another province of Thailand that consists of countless temple, especially old temples, due to its tight relation of Lanna Kingdom in the past. Therefore, if you wish to know how Chiang Rai was during that time, you must visit at least one old temple in Chiang Rai. You may not learn about everything, but you will gain a lot of knowledge, through beautiful architectures, artworks, etc. Beside, you will feel happy because of beautiful atmosphere too.
And, Wat Phra Singh Chiang Rai is a suggested one, if you don’t know which temple you should go to.
Wat Phra Singh Chiang Rai is about 6400 square metres large. The legend says that it was probably built in the year 1385.
All architectures at the temple are mirrors that reflect the stories of Lanna Kingdom.
- The principle Lord Buddha Statue : This is not all-Lanna statue, but a Lanna-Thai statue. The statue was built somewhere around the 21st Buddhist era. It was decorated by using bronze and covered with gold. That makes it so valuable and glorious!
- The ubosot : This Lanna-Thai style was built during the year 708-709. It had been mainly made of wood, but later it was renovated.
- Ban Pratoo Luang : These are beautiful carved wooden doors designed by Thawan Duchanee, a national artist of Thailand. The best thing here is, carvings on the doors aren’t ordinary artworks, but they tell stories! They tell stories of earth, water, wind, and fire, which are four main elements in our bodies.
- The pagoda : This is a Lanna-Thai pagoda, which was built in the same period as the ubosot.
- The bodhi tree from Bodh Gaya : In the year 1963, this tree was brought from India to Wat Phra Singh by Lieutenant General Aumporn Jintakanon. Many people, especially Buddhists, pay respect to it, assuming it as a holy tree.
- The bell tower : This one looks so stunning, as it was built in Lanna contemporary style. You should see how incredible it is, when old art is mixed with new-age art.
How to get there
Wat Phra Singh is located at 286, Area 2, Ban Phra Singh, Singh Klai Road, Wiang District, Muang County, Chiang Rai Province.
If you already know the route to Wat Phra Kaew, surely you can get to Wat Phra Singh too. Most everything is same. But, Wat Phra Singh is located before Wat Phra Kaew. That is not difficult. You just have to look for the Tourism Authority of Thailand Office first, then you will find Wat Phra Singh on the opposite side.
Nearby Places
Beside of making merit and paying respect to the Lord Buddha statue at Wat Phra Singh, you may want to continue a little bit further, in order to full-fill your days in Chiang Rai.
Let’s see some other tourist attractions, which are not too far away from the temple.
Wat Phra Kaeo on Trairat Road is one of the most renowned temples of Chiang Rai as it was where the sacred Emerald Buddha had been enshrined since 1444 before it’s been relocated to Wat Phra Kaeo in Bangkok, with few stops at Lampang and Vientiane. Wat Phra Kaeo now enshrines an official replica of the Emerald Buddha made of green jade. The temple also houses a 700-year bronze statue of Phra Chao Lan Thong in the Chiang Saen style ubosot you hardly find elsewhere.
Right at the center of Chiang Rai city finds the monument of King Mengrai, the great king who founded Lanna Thai kingdom. King Mengrai was originally the ruler of Nakhon Hiran Ngoen Yang, an ancient town off in Chiang Saen. With a will to create a great kingdom of Lanna folks, he advanced his power to nearby kingdoms (Chiang Rai was one of them) until he successfully established the Lanna Thai kingdom in 1296 with his power centered at Chiang Mai.
This museum is worthy of visiting by all people, as it contains exhibitions of Lanna history. There are many ancient items inside, including ‘Oub Kham’, a golden-coated bamboo food bowl used by kings and senior monks only. Just go. It is only about 3.1 kilometres away from Wat Phra Singh. Just travel for 8 minutes and you will reach it.
This is a very important agricultural tourist attraction of Chiang Rai. It is owned by Singha Corporation Co.,Ltd. The place looks beautiful and relaxing. There are many different zones, for instances, plant growing zones, tea growing zones, a restaurant, a bike renting zone, zipline adventure zones etc. Enjoy! It is just 13 kilometres away from Wat Phra Singh.
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