Wat Phra Kaew Chiang Rai

It's known throughout Thailand because it originally housed the stunning, translucent green Buddha that’s now in Bangkok’s Emerald Buddha Temple. The spot is not just historically rich, but also so charming and peaceful. Whether you're a history buff or just love visiting beautiful places, it’s well worth your time to drop by and soak in all the serene and elegant vibes.

Located near the market, this place seems popular with locals. There is a museum with a collection of Lanna Buddhist artifacts. The grounds are very peaceful to walk. There are also signs posted around that tell the story of the Emerald Buddha, of how it was moved around and discovered.

Beautiful temple with a long hostory, where the famous Emeral Buddha was discovered back in 1434 AD.

The main hall is beautiful and holds on "Phra Chao Larn Thong," a buddha that said to he the most beautiful example of Pala empire buddha casting. There is also an interesting museum inside. Carpark is available inside the temple.

It is one of the most popular temples in Chiang Rai. It is a calm place.

Pros
1. Could visit for free in 2023
2. Free parking in the premise
3. The Buddha statue is made of green emerald. Not sure if it is similar to the Wat Sa Kaew in Bangkok.
4. It is a calm place and there are several monks living and practicing there.
5. You might enquire for prayer and chanting time in the evening. It should be around 6 PM. You might witness the prayers.
6. Close to clock tower.

Considerations
1. Please wear full clothes. There might not be any shop to rent or sell the sarang or draping cloth.

Peaceful and calm. The emerald buddha is so gorgeous. There is a museum in the temple too but I did not enter due to time limit.

The most beautiful wat in Chiang Rai . Set in beautiful gardens and there is also an interesting museum on site . Our favourite wat here for sure .

A very special place. Incredible history. Don't miss the museum.

Maybe best that the Emerald Buddha was moved to Bangkok as that would have overwhelmed this beauty....who knows.

Very peaceful temple just on the outskirts of the centre. Beautiful architecture as expected and the inside of the temple is so serene. The emerald Buddha is really quite a sight. Noticed they offered introduction to Buddhism classes on certain days where you can ask questions about the religion which I thought was a wonderful idea.

Stunning temple with free admission, complimentary parking, and an attached museum.

Temple is set in really nice grounds and free to enter, worth seeing whilst in chiang rai

Beginning of Emerald Buddha Legend, Royal Temple, Buddha Museum. Located in the center of Chiangrai. A state of art created the Main temple where the Emerald Buddha stayed, Show the history of The famous Emerald Buddha Legendary on the temple wall. The side building is the Museum of Chiangrai Buddha and Antique. This is a must see place for those who travel to Chiangrai.
Place 5/5
Clean 5/5
Service 5/5
Value 5/5

Beautiful temple in the middle of Chiang Rai. Nice n cool under the trees. Many things to learn about the Buddhist way of life (if you're interested in that).

Great insight on the history of the emerald Buddhism. Also offering courses every Tuesday into Buddhism for people looking to learn more. Nice to spend half hour or so here

Recommend to visit here. Very serene and beautiful. Pra Kwea had ever been here before moved to Bangkok. The new one replace from the old one is also beautiful. There is a museum in the temple. Not big, should walk around to explore.

Beautiful gardens meets the eye as one walks through the gate. The temple of interest further back and busy with devotees offering prayers. The temple is small and unusually also lit up with a green light (behind mosaic tiles) adding to the aura of mystery and reverence. Wat Phra Kaew offers two temples.. shrines and a museum all on the same ground.. and if that's not enough.. let's add a moat and a Chedi. Worthy of an afternoon visit and if the museum was open I could have spent even more time there.

Around 15 minutes on foot from the Golden Clock Tower, it houses a replica of the Emerald Buddha at Wat Phra Kaew of the Grand Place, Bangkok. Compared to the grandeur of the original one in Bangkok, I find this one more solemn and tranquil. It might be because it is smaller in scale. However, make no mistake as this one is mostly visited by people - either by their private cars or by big groups (in buses) everywhere. There is a museum at the left side and Chedi at the back area.

Definately worth visiting and the museum here with it's Buddhist icons and other artifacts pushes this into the top rating.
Interestingly, this is where the famous Emerald Buddha, now displayed in Bangkok, was discovered here after a lighting struck the Pagoda (1434 AD) where it had been hidden. Hence, the Temple in Bangkok has the same name.
A replica of the original Emerald Budda is housed in one of the buildings here.
Nice shaped grounds for this Temple site.

Very peaceful temple in the midst of Chiang rai city. Serene and tranquil surrounding. Lot of monks studying and meditating in the temple premises. Have a pagoda, sacred bo tree, buddha statue and a museum as well. This temple conducts meditation sessions every Tuesdays in the morning. All interested are welcome. Temple has a unique history. Monks can speak english too. Added advantage for any foreigner to learn the core principles of buddhist meditation. Museum contains lot of artifacts and old relics related to buddhist civilization and ancient Chiang Rai city. Its a must visit temple for anybody who seeks buddhist philosophy.

Brief History of the Emerald Buddha
According to Ratna Phimwong chronicle, the Emerald Buddha was sculpted around 234 B.C. By gods as a gift to Venerable Nagasen Thera of Pataliputra (now Patna Bihar State India) Later the image was moved to Sri Lanka. King Anurudha of Pagan (Myanmar)requested the Tripitaka and the Emerald Buddha from Sri Lanka On the return voyage The boat carrying the image of the Emerald Buddha was swept ashore in Cambodia. The newly-arrived treasures came into the hands of Cambodia. Subsequently the image had moved to Indrapatha (Angkor), Sri Ayudhaya, Lopburi and Kampaeng Phet.

In 1390 A.D. King Mahabhrom of Chiang Rai took the image from Kampaeng Phet and hid behind stucco inside the pagoda of Wat Pa Yiah, Chang Rai. It was until 1434 that a bolt of lightening struck the Pagoda, revealing its sacred treasure. Thereafter the Emerald Buddha had moved from place to place as follows
1. Chiang Rai
for 45 years from 1391 to 1436
2. Lampang
for 32 years from 1436 to 1468
3. Chiang Mai
for 85 years from 1468 to 1553
4. Laos
for 225 years from 1553 to 1778
5. Bangkok, from 1778 to present
The Emerald Buddha is the palladium of Thai Society. Located on the grounds of the Grand Palace and enshrined in the Royal Chapel of Wat Phra Kaew, the Emerald Buddha watches over the Thai nation.

Small temple complex but loaded with interesting artifacts and history. A must visit for anyone visiting Chiang Rai. Friendly monks too. Actually they were the only monks we saw all morning and we went to three other temples.