Wat Phra That Hariphunchai

Royal Temple Of The Ancient Haripunchai Kingdom; Its Golden Chedi Is Among The Most Revered In The North · Lamphun, Lamphun

Wat Phra That Hariphunchai stands at the heart of Lamphun, a small, quiet provincial town on the Kuang river about 30 to 40 minutes south of Chiang Mai, and is one of the most sacred temples in northern Thailand. By tradition it was founded in the eleventh century by a king of Haripunchai, the Mon kingdom that ruled this valley for centuries before the Lanna kings, on a site where a relic of the Buddha was enshrined. Its great golden chedi, the Phra That, rises in tiers of gilded copper plates above a walled terrace and is a pilgrimage goal for people born in the Year of the Rooster. Around it stand an older stepped brick chedi in the Dvaravati style, the Suwanna Chedi, a huge bronze gong, an elegant scripture library and halls of revered Buddha images. Across the road, the Hariphunchai National Museum displays the art of the kingdom, and at the western edge of town Wat Chamadevi keeps two rare early chedis linked to the kingdom's legendary founder, Queen Chamadevi. Lamphun is also known for longan orchards and weaving.

Athitayawong Road, Nai Mueang, Lamphun, Lamphun, 51000, Thailand

NO OPENING TIME HERE WAS CHECKED. The typical pattern: the temple grounds are open every day from early morning, around 6 or 7 am, until about 6 pm, with halls open through the day and later on holy days, and no weekly closing day; the Hariphunchai National Museum has opened roughly 9 am to 4 pm, Wednesday to Sunday, closed Mondays, Tuesdays and some public holidays; Wat Chamadevi is open in daylight. Songthaews to and from Chiang Mai run from early morning to late afternoon. The traps that ruin a visit are finding the museum on its closing day, missing the last songthaew back to Chiang Mai, being turned away from halls for dress and walking into the chedi's inner enclosure without reading the signs. Confirm current times before relying on them.

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