Wat Phra Kaew Chiangrai, A Sanctuary of Serenity and Spirituality

Wat Phra Kaew, Krisorasit Road, Chiang Rai, Chiang Rai Province, 57000, Thailand

There are really many Buddhist temples in Thailand

4.1

Introduction

The Emerald Buddha, also known as the Jade Buddha, was discovered in a temple that was struck by lightning in 1434. It was initially intended to be transported to Chiang Mai, but the elephants carrying it kept bringing it to Lampang instead. Eventually, in 1468, it was placed in Chiang Mai's Wat Chiang Man temple. In 1552, the Emerald Buddha was taken to Luang Prabang, which was then part of Laos, and later moved to Vientiane in 1564. After about 200 years in Laos, it was recaptured by Thai General Chao Phraya Chakri (later known as King Rama I) in 1779 and brought back to Thailand, where it was placed in Wat Arun in Thonburi. In 1784, it was transported to its current location in the Emerald Buddha Temple in Bangkok. In 1991, a replica was made from Canadian jade and displayed in Beijing, China, as part of celebrations for the Queen Mother's 90th birthday. The replica is now housed in the Jade Buddha Temple in Chiang Mai.