Thailand is a Buddhist country and has tens of thousands of Buddhist temples. Buddhism is the largest religion in Thailand, which 93% of the population practices. In the constitution of Thailand, there is no official state religion. This guarantees religious freedom for all Thai citizens, though the king is required to be a Theravada Buddhist.
Buddhism is very much alive in this country. They dominate the landscape and are the center of communities. People donate large amounts of money to temples and are involved in volunteering for the temple. Many young men spent at least a couple of months in their lives as a monk in a temple.
All Buddhist temples have an assembly hall (viharn of vihara) and an ordination hall (ubosot). Behind the assembly hall, there usually is a chedi called chetiya, stupa, or pagoda. This temple tower contains the ashes of the Buddha or monks. Other buildings are a library, where they keep the Buddhist scriptures and a clocktower. Some temples have a sala, a kind of multi-functional building.
Many Buddhist temples have a museum. The Wat Ket Museum of Wat Ket Karaam is one of the more popular museums in Chiang Mai, but there are more. There is, for instance, the museum of Wat Chedi Luang. Wat Sung Men near Phrae has the biggest museum of Buddhist palm leaf manuscripts.
Monks are living at temples. In some temples, such as Wat Mon Pu Yak in Lampang, there is only one monk. Other temples have many monks residing, such as Wat Suan Dok and Wat Phantao. Both these temples have Buddhist schools.
Table of Contents Chiang Mai’s Silver Temple: Wat Sri Suphan Old handicrafts of Chiang Mai Wat Sri Suphan (วัดศรีสุพรรณ), Chiang Mai’s “Silver Temple,” is one of the most exciting and active temples, located outside the old walled city. It is just north of the Chiang Mai gate, the northern entrance to the old city. The […]
Wat Phrathat Doi Kham Wat Phra That Doi Kham on Doi Suthep The Wat Phra That Doi Kham is located on the low slopes of Doi Suthep/Suthep Mountain. It is a very popular temple. Many Thai Buddhists visit this interesting temple on Doi Kham, one of the foothills of Suthep Mountain. Table of Contents The […]
Wat Ket Karaam: introduction Wat Ket Karaam (วัดเกตการาม) is a temple on the east side of the Ping River in the Wat Ket neighborhood. The temple is also known as Wat Sa Ket. The name of the temple is often spelled as Wat Gate Karaam or Wat Ket Karam. According to information at the temple, […]
Wat Ku Tao, the “Leaning Tower” The “Leaning Tower” of Wat Ku Tao This temple is a couple of km west of Chiang Saen, just off road no. 1016. Wat Ku Tao (วัดกู่เต้า) is not visible from the road. There is a cluster on the left side of the road, just after the intersection with […]
Introduction to the Temples of Chiang Rai As I wrote Chiang Rai has an interesting variety of old and new temples. If you do some research into the history of Chiang Rai, the old temples come to life and all have an interesting story. Temples such as Wat Rong Khun, the Blue Temple, and Wat […]
The Buddhist Temples of Phrae Table of Contents Introduction to the Buddhist Temples of Phrae I have divided the Buddhist Temples of Phrae in two sections: temples within the old city wall and temples outside. There is so much to enjoy for visitors. You don’t have to be a Buddhist or a religion freak to […]
Wat Sri Chum, the Burmese Temple Table of Contents The Burmese temple of Lampang Wat Sri Chum is a Burmese Buddhist temple in Lampang. Burmese immigrants funded the construction, in which Burmese carpenters and craftsmen were involved. Before they established this temple in 1893 there was an old temple in a forest of boddhi trees […]
Table of Contents Wat Ku Kut aka Wat Chama Thewi The Wat Ku Kut is a temple in Lamphun, also known as Wat Chama Thewi, Wat Chama Devi, or Wat Camadewi. It is, after Wat Hariphunchai, the most revered and famous temple of Lamphun. The temple is named after Queen Chama Thewi, who founded Lamphun […]
Table of Contents Monks at the viewpoint Beautiful temple with great views There is surprisingly little information about this fascinating temple. Wat Phra That Pha Ngao (วัดพระธาตุผาเงา) is a Buddhist temple, less than 10 km from Chiang Saen. The temple offers spectacular views over the Mekong River and Laos. It is a community center as […]
Wat Huay Pla Kang, the Temple of Mercy Table of Contents The Temple of Mercy: introduction Wat Huay Pla Kang (วัดห้วยปลากั้ง) is in Chiang Rai, north of the Kok River. It is easy to find as the immense statue of Kuan Im, the Goddess of Mercy, dominates the landscape. It is one of my favorite […]