Wat Phra Singh

Lonely Planet review

Chiang Mai's most visited Buddhist temple, Wat Phra Singh owes its fame to the fact that it houses the city's most revered Buddha image, Phra Singh (Lion Buddha). Started by King Pa Yo in 1345, the wíhǎan (large hall) that houses the Phra Singh image was completed between 1385 and 1400. Architecturally it's a perfect example of the classic northern Thai or Lanna style followed during this period from Chiang Mai to Luang Prabang.

The Phra Singh Buddha supposedly comes from Sri Lanka, but it is not particularly Sinhalese in style. As it is identical to two images in Nakhon Si Thammarat and Bangkok, and has quite a travel history (Sukhothai, Ayuthaya, Chiang Rai, Luang Prabang - the usual itinerary for a travelling Buddha image, involving much royal trickery), no-one really knows which image is the real one, nor can anyone document its place of origin. The sǐm (central sanctuary) was finished in about 1600.