Wat Phra Kaeo

Situated on Trairat Road in the town centre, Wat Phra Kaeo was where one of Thailand's most important Buddha statues was discovered. In 1354 CE, during the reign of King Sam Fang Kaen, who ruled Chiang Mai, lightning struck the chedi of Wat Phra Kaeo on Trai Rat Road, Tambon Wiang, cracking it open. A Buddha image gilded with gold leaf on black lacquer was found inside the broken chedi. When that black lacquer was removed, a beautiful jade figure was revealed, concealed within. The statue was moved by various rulers to their respective capitals as a symbol of dominance, including Lampang, Chiang Rai, and Vientiane, before finally being enshrined in Bangkok's Wat Phra Kaeo during the reign of King Rama I of the Rattanakosin Period. The temple also houses a 700-year-old bronze statue, Phra Chao Lan Thong, which is kept in the Chiang Saen-style Ubosot.

On 21 October 1990 CE, enshrined in the Ho Phra Yok or Hall of the Jade Buddha, a replica crafted from jade—Phra Yok Chiang Rai or Phra Phuttha Rattanakon Nawuttiwatsanuson Mongkhon—was commissioned to honour the late Princess Mother’s 90th birthday anniversary. The adjacent two-storey modern Lanna-style building is a museum or Huang Luang Saeng Kaeo, a reinforced concrete structure lined with teak wood both outside and inside. It houses various revered Buddha images, including Phra Chao Than Chai, Phra Prot Lok, Phra Phuttha Si Chiang Rai, as well as a display of modern Buddhist art and culture. [Source: TAT]

Ayutthaya Historical Research