Wat Phra Kaeo

THAILAND, Chiang Rai

Wat Phra Kaeo means Temple of the Emerald Buddha. Little is known about the date of its construction. When the temple’s stupa was cracked open after being struck by lightning in 1434, an emerald Buddha statue was found inside. It is from this discovery that the temple acquired its name. This Emerald Buddha is highly revered, regarded as a national treasure, and has been taken to many cities by various kings. The statue is presently enshrined in the Wat Phra Kaeo in Bangkok. As the original location of the Emerald Buddha, this Wat Phra Kaeo in Chiang Rai is regarded as a highly important temple in northern Thailand.
The temple faces east and the main buildings consist of the Buddha hall, stupa, and ordination hall. The Buddha hall is distinctively Lanna in architectural style, with its double-eave roofs, decorated with garudas on the ridge, and with naga scales and naga tails on the bargeboards. The pediment is covered with rectangular and triangular panels, which are painted in golden floral patterns on a red background. There are decorative vine patterns in gold above and on both sides of the entrance. On both sides of the stairway leading to the entrance there are nagas with their heads pointed slightly upwards and their tongues extended. The exterior of the Buddha hall appears magnificent. The main Buddha statue enshrined in the hall, the Phra Chao Lang Thong, is seated in full lotus position with hands in the bhumisparsa (earth-touching) mudra.
The stupa is located behind the Buddha hall. It stands on a large and high, hexagonal base. The body of the stupa, which is also hexagonal, tapers upwards, culminating in a dome, upon which there is a multi-cornered harmika. The spire is composed of stacked rings followed by the pointed finial with its multi-tier canopy. The whole stupa is gilded.
Behind the stupa there is the ordination hall, in which a copy of the original Emerald Buddha statue is enshrined. This seated statue was carved from dark green emerald and was consecrated by King Rama IX (reigned 1946–present) in 1991.