Saturday 14 November 2009

Year of Dragon: Phra Phuttha Si Hing, Wat Phra Sing Temple, Chaing Mai

Phra Phuttha Si Hing is one of the most significant Buddha images of Chiang Mai.

It is believed to have originated around 2nd Century AD in present day Sri Lanka and had been transferred from one city to another until finally reached Chiang Mai in 1440 in the reign of Phaya Saen Mueang. At first the image was meant to be housed in a temple called Wat Buppharam, but when its carriage passed Wat Phra Sing temple (known as Wat Lee Chiang Phra then), the carriage could not be moved further.

As a result, the Buddha image has been housed in this temple since. In 1520, a King of Lanna, Phra Mueang Keo, built a temple hall called “Wihan Lai Kham” to house the image. This temple hall contains mural paintings depicting a folk tale, done by Lanna artists, and a story from the past lives of the Buddha, done by artists from Central Thailand, from the period of King Rama V.

During the Songkran festival of every year, Phra Phuttha Si Hing is taken in a procession around the city so that people can join the bathing ceremony.
Location - Sam Lan Road, Mueang district, Chiang Mai

Getting there
By CarFrom Bangkok, take highway no. 32 to Nakhon Sawan and then take highway no. 1 passing through Tak and Lampang. Then take highway no. 11 to Chiang Mai. The distance is 700 km.

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