OUTSIDE BANKGOK: HOUSES OF THE HOLY IN CHIANG RAI AND THE GOLDEN TRIANGLE

Wat Phra Kaew

Located in the heart of downtown Chiang Ria, Wat Phra Kaew is the city's most famous wat, mainly because it was the original home of the Emerald Buddha, which now resides at a wat with the same name at the Grand Palace in Bangkok (see related post from July 11, 2006).


This wat also is associated with a local legend. Rather than retype the whole thing in my own words, you can read about it below:

While we were there, we chatted with a few monks. The one on the right wanted to know if we were excited to have Hillary Clinton be our next Prime Minister.

Wat Phra That Doi Wao

Situated on a steep hill in Mae Sai near the Myanmar border, this wat is said to have been built in memory of several thousand Burmese soldiers who died fighting there in 1965. We were too lazy to climb to the top, so we hired motorcycles to take us there for 10 baht apiece.

Once atop the summit, we had a nice view of Myanmar.


If you look closely, you can see another wat just across the border (it's the building with the steeple).

I'm not sure what the significance of this scorpion statue is (the sign was in Thai).

Wat Chedi Luang

The province of Chiang Saen (near the Mekong River) is home to many ancient wats and the whole area has a similar feel to the ancient Thai capital of Ayutthaya (see related blog entry from January 21, 2007). I personally like these kinds of places because the experience of visiting them is like taking a step back in time.

Wat Chedi Luang dates back to sometime between the 12th and 14th Centuries. They just don't have things that old in the US.


Wat Pa Sak

This impressive wat also dates back to the 14th Century and is made up of seven monuments. I found the ruins to be surprisingly well-preserved for their age.

Wat Athi Ton Kaew

In some instances, it seems as if parts of the city were actually built up around the ruins. As you can see here, Wat Athi Ton Kaew is located right next to someones house (what you can't see is that it is also in front of a plantation of banana trees).

The most interesting thing about this wat is that it is evidence of the practice of building a brick stupa over an older existing one.

The brick stupa dates back to 1515. The date of the one underneath is unknown.

Wat Luang

Located in Chiang Khong near the Laos border, Wat Luang is one of the most colorful wats I can recall visiting, both inside and out.

The paintings in the interior reminded me a lot of the ones you'd find in an old Italian church, not because of their style, but the fact that there were so many of them and they all seemed to be telling different parts of a religious story.

Beyond the bowls of rice and the Mekong River is Laos. Hopefully we'll visit there someday.

HOUSES OF THE HOLY: WAT MAHABUT (SHRINE TO NANG NAK)

Heading further east on Sukhumvit, you’ll eventually get near another one of Bangkok’s more obscure shrines – the Shrine of Nang Nak (also known as Mae Nak Phra Khanong), which is said to be the burial place of Thailand’s most famous ghost. Situated within Wat Mahabut off of Sukhumvit 77, Soi 7, (not far from the On Nut BTS Station) this shrine is popular with those who seek good luck, wealth or romance.

When one first enters the Wat Mahabut compound, it seems like most other wat in town: several ornate temples and a lot of monks and stray dogs. But as you make your way towards the back, you’ll notice a throng of vendors selling food and various trinkets and this means you’re getting close to the Shrine. Much of this stuff is for sale as an offering to the ghosts of Nang Nak (including beautiful dresses and cosmetics) and her child (toys, candy, milk and diapers).


The story of Nang Nak is a popular one in Thailand and has been the subject of several films including Mae Nak Phra Khanong (1958), Nang Nak (1999) and The Ghost of Mae Nak (2005). The basic plot goes like this: a man (Mak) goes off to fight in a war and leaves his pregnant wife (Nak) behind in a rural village. Nak eventually dies during childbirth, but when Mak returns home the ghosts of his deceased wife and child greet him. He becomes spellbound by them and does not know the truth about their fates. When the other villagers try to tell him what really happened, they are killed by Nak’s ghost who refuses to accept her death and only wants to remain with her husband. Eventually, a Buddhist monk is summoned to the village and gets the ghost to repent and let her husband live his life in peace.


This timeworn tale has often been referred to as the country’s version of Dracula. Like her Romanian counterpart, there has been some debate about how much of the story is true and how much of it is myth, but it’s famous enough that parents will threaten their children with visits from Nang Nak if they don’t behave.

After making an offering and praying to Nang Nak’s gold leaf covered statue, many people will buy lottery tickets from local vendors in hopes that the ghost will bring them financial fortune. The Shrine of Nang Nak is also popular with men looking to get out of military duty, but should be avoided (for obvious reasons) if you are woman who is either wants to get pregnant or is already pregnant (those people should just stick to the Goddess Tuptin Shrine).