Wat Phra Singh
One more week, at the luxury hotel in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa we keep travelling around the Asian continent. Today, we are taking you to Thailand to discover the Wat Phra Singh Temple.
Wat Phra Singh, also known as Temple of the Lion Buddha, is Chiang Mai´s most important temple and one of its main tourist attractions. It is also one of the most famous temples in Thailand. King Ananda Mahidol bestowed on it the status of Royal Temple of the first grade in 1935.
This is a Buddhist complex built up by several buildings and stupas. Its origin dates back to the 14th century, it was built in 1345. The resulting complex was named Wat Lichiang Phra until the statue of Phra Buddha Singh, which gives its current name to the temples, was brought in 1367. Since it was built, Wat Phra Singh has been restored in several occasions.
The temple was restored by King Kawila, when he assumed the throne as King of Chiang Mau in 1782. He had the ubosot (ordination hall) built and the chedi enlarged. Later successors restored the Wihan Lai Kham, the main attraction of the temple, which contains the statue of Phra Buddha Singh and the temple library.
The origins of the statue of Phra Buddha Singh are unknown, but according to the legend this is a lost statue, which anciently was located in Mahabodhi Temple in BadhGaya, India. The statue was brought across Ceylan (now Sri Lanka) and Ayutthaya to Chiang Mai. People say there are another two statues of Phra Singh in Thailand, and each one of them supports being the original one. These two other statues are located in Nakhon Si Thammarat and at Bangkok National Museum.
Regardless Phra Buddha Singh is the original one or a copy, it is one the most important statues of Buddha in Northern Thailand. Every year, during Songkram Festival, the statue of Phra Buddha Singh is carried across Chiang Mai streets while locals worship it and sprinkle sacred water over it.
Wat Phra Singh is an excellent example of Lanna Thai Style architecture. Inside the building we find different sanctuaries with other Buddha statues, a tall stupa, a small garden and a monastery.
If you visit the 5 stars resort Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa, enjoy discovering the different Buddha statues spread over different spots of the hotel, one of the icons of our Asian paradise in the Mediterranean.
