Wat Phra Singh In Chiang Mai, Thailand

Locals call it simply Wat Phra Singh, the temple of the Lion Buddha, and its full royal name is Wat Phra Singh Woramahawihan. This guide covers the history and what to see, the exact timings, fee and dress code, how to reach it, and how to fold it into an Old City temple walk, with prices in both baht and rupees. For the finer detail, each section links to our dedicated Wat Phra Singh pages. One quick note before you go: this is the gilded Lanna temple, not the Silver Temple (that is Wat Sri Suphan, south of the moat), which travellers often mix up.

The short version

• Go early, 07:00 to 09:00. The Old City is coolest then, the gold catches soft morning light, and you often arrive before the tour groups and the mid-morning heat.

• The grounds are free. You only pay to enter the Viharn Lai Kham, about 40 THB (~Rs 115) for foreigners. Carry small baht notes for the desk.

• Dress modestly. Shoulders and knees covered for everyone, shoes off inside the halls. A cover-up is available near the Lai Kham entrance against a refundable deposit if you turn up in shorts.

• See the Lai Kham murals. The 19th-century wall paintings of Lanna daily life inside the Viharn Lai Kham are the real reason to pay the small fee, and they are what most visitors remember.

• Pair it with Wat Chedi Luang. The two headline Old City temples are a 10-minute walk apart. Wat Phra Singh itself takes about 45 minutes to an hour.

Wat Phra Singh in TravelTriangle trip data

Across the Chiang Mai itineraries our experts have planned, Wat Phra Singh is the temple travellers ask to start with, usually clustered with Wat Chedi Luang and the Sunday Walking Street into a single Old City day. The figures below come from TravelTriangle booking data

Wat Phra Singh at a glance

Everything worth knowing before you go, in one place. Baht figures are current on-site prices; rupee figures use about Rs 2.86 per baht.

Want the exact detail on any of these? See our Wat Phra Singh timings, the entry fees and how to reach pages.

The history of Wat Phra Singh and the Phra Buddha Sihing

Wat Phra Singh was founded in 1345 by King Phayu, the fifth ruler of the Mangrai dynasty that built the Lanna kingdom, who raised it to enshrine the ashes of his father, King Kham Fu. It began life as Wat Lichiang Phra and took its present name after its most famous resident arrived.

That resident is the Phra Buddha Sihing, or Phra Singh, a much-venerated bronze image installed here in 1367. Its exact origin is debated: tradition holds it came from Sri Lanka, while art historians point to a Sukhothai or early Lanna casting. Either way it became the temple's spiritual heart, and it is why locals renamed the whole monastery after it. Two other images in Thailand also claim to be the true Phra Singh, one in Bangkok's National Museum and one in Nakhon Si Thammarat, a rivalry that only adds to the Chiang Mai image's fame.

The temple was restored in the early 20th century by the revered monk Khruba Srivichai, and it was raised to royal first-class status (the Woramahawihan in its name) in 1935. Today it remains an active monastery and a working Buddhist university, so you will see novice monks going about their day alongside visitors.

What to see: Viharn Lai Kham, the chedi and Lanna architecture

The compound is a textbook of Lanna temple architecture, all gilded woodwork, layered roofs and whitewashed stucco. Give it 45 minutes to an hour and start with the chapel that holds the namesake image.

Viharn Lai Kham

The Viharn Lai Kham is the small, richly decorated assembly hall at the back of the grounds, and the one section that carries the entry fee. Inside sits the Phra Buddha Sihing, but the walls are the real treasure: 19th-century murals showing scenes of everyday Lanna life, dress, markets and courtship, painted with a detail you rarely see elsewhere. The gilded wood facade, carved gables and wing-shaped roofline make it the finest example of Lanna craftsmanship in the city.

The golden chedi

Behind the main halls stands the temple's chedi (stupa), first built in 1345 on a Lanna octagonal base and later gilded so it glows in the afternoon sun. The lower tier carries elephant sculptures set into the base, a classic northern-Thai motif, and the whole structure is often draped in saffron cloth on holy days.

The Ho Trai and the main viharn

Look for the Ho Trai, the scripture library raised on a high stuccoed base to keep the sacred texts safe from floods and insects, its panels among the prettiest in Chiang Mai. The large main viharn (Viharn Luang) and the ubosot (ordination hall) hold seated Buddha images and remain in daily use for prayer and chanting, so step in quietly and keep to the edges if a service is under way.

Opening hours and entry fee

Wat Phra Singh is open every day from about 06:00 to 18:00, with the prayer halls closing a little earlier, around 17:00, and morning chanting near dawn. Wandering the grounds and the main halls is free. The one ticketed part is the Viharn Lai Kham, where foreign visitors pay a small fee to see the murals and the Phra Buddha Sihing.

Hours and the Lai Kham fee are the two things most worth double-checking before you go, so we keep them current on dedicated pages. See the full ticket breakdown on our Wat Phra Singh entry fees page, and the exact daily and holiday hours on the Wat Phra Singh timings page.

Dress code, etiquette and the sarong loan

This is a living, active temple and a monastic university, not only a monument, so modest dress is expected of everyone. Cover your shoulders and knees: skip vests, short shorts and short skirts. Remove your shoes and your hat before you step into any prayer hall or the Viharn Lai Kham. If you arrive underdressed, a cover-up or sarong is available near the Lai Kham entrance against a refundable deposit of about 100 THB (around Rs 285), returned when you give it back.

A few local courtesies matter. Never point your feet at a Buddha image or sit with your soles facing one; tuck them behind you instead. Women should not touch or hand things directly to a monk. Photography is fine across the grounds and usually inside the halls, but do not use flash on the Lai Kham murals, keep your voice down, and always ask before photographing a monk. More etiquette and packing notes are on our Wat Phra Singh travel tips page.

How to reach Wat Phra Singh, best time and how long to spend

The temple sits at the western end of Ratchadamnoen Road, inside the square, moated Old City. From Tha Phae Gate at the eastern end it is a flat 15-minute walk (about 1.2 km) straight down Ratchadamnoen, past cafes and the Sunday Walking Street stalls. A shared red songthaew (truck-taxi) costs around 30 THB (~Rs 86) per person; a chartered songthaew or tuk-tuk runs about 80 to 150 THB. From outside the moat a Grab car is quick and cheap by Indian standards. The temple is roughly 15 minutes from Chiang Mai International Airport by road.

For timing, aim for early morning, 07:00 to 09:00, when the air is cool, the gold catches soft light and the crowds are thin; late afternoon is a good second choice. Season-wise, November to February is Chiang Mai's cool, dry stretch and the most comfortable time to walk the Old City. March to early April can be hazy from regional burning, and June to October brings afternoon rain, so favour a morning visit in the wetter months. Most visitors spend 45 minutes to an hour here, or closer to 90 minutes if you linger over the Lai Kham murals and the chedi.

Detailed directions, including from the airport and the bus and train stations, are on our how to reach Wat Phra Singh page.

Nearby temples and what to combine it with

One of the best things about Wat Phra Singh is where it sits. The Old City is compact, so you can pair it with two or three more temples in a single, relaxed morning before the heat builds, walking the length of Ratchadamnoen as you go.

Start your wider trip with our Chiang Mai travel guide, read up on the nearby Wat Chedi Luang, and browse Thailand tour packages to build Chiang Mai's temples and the north into one customisable itinerary.

Songkran and festivals at Wat Phra Singh

Wat Phra Singh is the ceremonial heart of Chiang Mai's Songkran (Thai New Year), around 13 to 15 April. The Phra Buddha Sihing is carried out of the temple and paraded through the Old City on a decorated float so people can pour scented water over it for blessing and good fortune. If you visit in mid-April, expect the temple and Ratchadamnoen Road to be crowded and joyful, and the whole city awash in the famous water fights. Outside Songkran, Buddhist holy days (wan phra) and Loy Krathong in November are quieter but atmospheric times to be here.

Why travellers trust this guide

The fee, hours and route on this page are checked by TravelTriangle's Thailand desk against on-site information and current temple listings, and refreshed each season.

Plan your Chiang Mai Old City temple walk

Wat Phra Singh rewards an unhurried, early visit: see the Lai Kham murals while the light is soft, walk a loop of the golden chedi, and step into the main viharn before the day heats up. Pair it with Wat Chedi Luang a short walk east, and you have one of the best mornings in Chiang Mai.

When you are ready to turn it into a trip, our Thailand tour packages can build Chiang Mai's temples, the elephant camps and the north into a single customisable itinerary, or start with the wider Chiang Mai travel guide.

Explore more of Wat Phra Singh and Chiang Mai