Wat Phra Singh Woramahaviharn

Dating back to 1345, Wat Phra Singh Woramahaviharn is a perfect example of Lanna-style architecture, certainly one of the most elegant of Chiang Mai. Located on Samlarn Road, in the center of old walled city, it was built by King Pra Chao Maha Proma to preserve the ashes of his father, King Kham Fu, and was originally named Wat Phra Chiang. The temple was renamed in 1367, when Wat Phra Sing’s Viharn Lai Kham became the abode of Phra Phuttha Sihing. Also know as Phra Buddha Sihing or Lion Buddha, it is Chiang Mai’s most sacred Buddha image and a cultural landmark in the history of Theravada Buddhism in Thailand. During the Songkran festival, every April 13-15, Phra Phuttha Sihing is carried in a parade procession around town so locals can bath the image with scented water, which brings good luck according to a traditional belief. Legend has it that the original image of the Buddha Sihing was merged in Sri Lanka in 157 AD and was later brought in Siam in 1307 AD, at first in Nakhon Si Tammarat and then in Sukhothai during the heyday of the Sukhothai Kingdom. Over the years the statue was moved to Ayutthaya and Kamphaeng Phet, and later inside the Wat Phra Singh in Chiang Rai, then in 1367 was brought to Chiang Mai, the new capital of Lanna Empire. According to Siamese culture of that time, it was believed that wherever the image of Buddha Sihing resided the Buddhism would prosper, so of statue were made at least three copies perfectly equal, as it was the tradition in the style of the Sukhothai Kingdom. Currently there are three images of Buddha Sihing that share the same name, and claim to be the original, plus two latest replicas that are located in Chiang Rai and Mae Hong Son. That of Wat Phra Singh Woramahawihan, which is probably one of the original copies, one located in Phra Sihing Hall in Nakhon Sri Thammarat, and that which is presumed to be the original from Sri Lanka, if the legend is real, which is preserved in the Phutthai Sawan Chapel of the National Museum in Bangkok. Throughout its history the Wat Phra Singh has been renovated several times. The temple fell into disrepair in the period between 1578 and 1774, when the Burmese ruled in the valley of Chiang Mai. A first restoration was made on the orders of King Kawila in 1782, who rebuilt the ubosot and the main chedi. The successive governors built the Ho Trai, the library of the temple, one of the finest libraries in the temple in Thailand, and the Viharn Lai Kham, which is the main attraction of the complex.
Admission fee & Opening hours: The temple is open daily from 08:00 to 17:00. Admission for Thai nationals and foreigners is free.
Getting there: Wat Phra Singh Woramahaviharn is located on Sam Lan Road near to Suan Dok Gate in the west area of the old walled city, and easily accessible on foot or by songthaew from those who are already in the center of Chiang Mai. Read More