Wat Phra Kaeo
 View of Wat Phra Kaeo from the entrance, with the ubosot and its golden chedi beside the museum. |
Chiang Rai's Temple of the Emerald Buddha lays claim to be the 'original' Wat Phra Kaeo, at least in Thailand. No one seems to know exactly when the temple was built, but it probably dates to around the time of the city's founding. It was originally called 'Wat Pa Yia' which means 'yellow bamboo forest' after the bamboo which abundantly grew in the area. Several stands of the tall grass line one side of the compound today.
 The replica of the Emerald Buddha. |
What is known for sure is that in 1434, lightning struck the chedi (since restored) and cracked it open. The so-called 'Emerald Buddha' now housed in the Grand Palace in Bangkok was found inside the broken chedi. Soon after its discovery, the sacred image was moved to Lampang, then Chiang Mai, then Laos and finally to Bangkok in 1778.
The 'Emerald Buddha' is actually made of jasper, not jade as is generally stated. Real jade isn't solid moss-green in color but milky-white with streaks of green or purple. In 1991 a replica of the original was commissioned to honor the Princess Mother's 90th birthday. A large hunk of Canadian jasper was donated by a rich Chinese businessman, and the replica was carved in Beijing. Following Buddhist protocol, the new 'Chiang Rai Jade Buddha' is not an exact copy of the original. Its slightly smaller with other variations. The new Buddha was installed in a custom-built pavilion at the back of the main compound.
The beautiful ubosot was built in 1890 in the Chiang Saen style and was last remodeled in 1960. Often overlooked is the Buddha image within the ubosot. The large bronze image, which is not gilded like most Buddha images, is one of the largest and considered one of the most beautiful in Thailand. The image is about 700 years old and was originally in Wat Phra Chao Lamthong outside of town, then it was moved to Wat Ngam Muang and finally to Wat Phra Kaeo in 1961.
South of the ubosot is a large two-story museum in dark teak wood trimmed in gold. The 'Saeng Kaeo' museum holds religious artifacts and texts, but is not open to the public.
Photo Gallery
To see more pictures of Wat Phra Kaeo, see our online photo gallery.
