Description of the attraction
A whole complex of temple buildings under the single name Wat Phra Kaew is spread over an area of 10, 640 square meters on Trayrat Street in the center of Chiang Rai. Wat Phra Kaew is the center of the Buddhist community (sangha) of northern Thailand and is home to monastic educational institutions as well as a leadership department.
Wat Phra Kaew is one of the oldest and most revered temples in Chiang Rai. The temple is of great historical importance for the whole of Thailand. The exact date of its construction is not known.
Originally the temple had a different name: Wat Pa Yah. Everything changed in 1434, when the octagonal chedi (stupa) on its territory split from a lightning strike, revealing to the world of amazing beauty the statue of the Emerald Buddha. The temple was named after the statue “Phra Keo”.
Buddhists believe that the statue of the Emerald Buddha is of divine origin and treat it with great reverence. She was transported to a new place more than once, many tried to take possession of the statue with the help of force and power. The end point of the Phra Kaew statue's travels in 1778 was the current capital of Thailand, Bangkok, when King Rama I took it out of Laos. The Emerald Buddha statue was erected at Wat Phra Kaew in Bangkok on March 22, 1784. Thais sincerely believe that their state exists as long as they have the Emerald Buddha.
The Phra Kaew Temple in Chiang Rai now houses an elaborately crafted copy of the original statue of the Emerald Buddha, custom-made in 1990. In 1991, the replicated statue underwent a special consecration ceremony at Wat Phra Kaew in Bangkok.
On the territory of the temple is the Sengkae Museum, built in 1995 in the traditional style of northern Thailand. It houses a rich collection of Northern Thai art. Detailed commentaries on each exhibit in Thai and English provide complete information on each item.
