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Wat Kong Kan (วัดกองกาน) was established as early as 1431. The main Buddha image called Phra Ong Yai (พระองค์ใหญ่) remains impressive, both for its considerable size and for the elongated earlobes and wide eyes, the latter said by some authorities to represent a Mae Chaem style. Modern murals on the walls of the viharn recount the discovery of the Phra Ong Yai image in a notional wilderness, and the various stages of development at the temple since that distant time.<br/><br/>

Tucked away in a narrow valley, Mae Chaem (แม่แจ่ม) must rank as one of the least accessible corners of Chiang Mai. Located on the westernmost frontier of the province, it is isolated from the main Chiang Mai valley by the East Thanon Thongchai Range dominated by Doi Inthanon (ดอยอินทนนท์; at 2,565m Thailand’s highest mountain), and from neighbouring Mae Hong Son province to the west by the Central Thanon Thongchai Range, including Doi Khun Bong (ดอยขุนบง; 1,772m).
Wat Kong Kan (วัดกองกาน) was established as early as 1431. The main Buddha image called Phra Ong Yai (พระองค์ใหญ่) remains impressive, both for its considerable size and for the elongated earlobes and wide eyes, the latter said by some authorities to represent a Mae Chaem style. Modern murals on the walls of the viharn recount the discovery of the Phra Ong Yai image in a notional wilderness, and the various stages of development at the temple since that distant time.<br/><br/>

Tucked away in a narrow valley, Mae Chaem (แม่แจ่ม) must rank as one of the least accessible corners of Chiang Mai. Located on the westernmost frontier of the province, it is isolated from the main Chiang Mai valley by the East Thanon Thongchai Range dominated by Doi Inthanon (ดอยอินทนนท์; at 2,565m Thailand’s highest mountain), and from neighbouring Mae Hong Son province to the west by the Central Thanon Thongchai Range, including Doi Khun Bong (ดอยขุนบง; 1,772m).
Wat Kong Kan (วัดกองกาน) was established as early as 1431. The main Buddha image called Phra Ong Yai (พระองค์ใหญ่) remains impressive, both for its considerable size and for the elongated earlobes and wide eyes, the latter said by some authorities to represent a Mae Chaem style. Modern murals on the walls of the viharn recount the discovery of the Phra Ong Yai image in a notional wilderness, and the various stages of development at the temple since that distant time.<br/><br/>

Tucked away in a narrow valley, Mae Chaem (แม่แจ่ม) must rank as one of the least accessible corners of Chiang Mai. Located on the westernmost frontier of the province, it is isolated from the main Chiang Mai valley by the East Thanon Thongchai Range dominated by Doi Inthanon (ดอยอินทนนท์; at 2,565m Thailand’s highest mountain), and from neighbouring Mae Hong Son province to the west by the Central Thanon Thongchai Range, including Doi Khun Bong (ดอยขุนบง; 1,772m).
Wat Kong Kan (วัดกองกาน) was established as early as 1431. The main Buddha image called Phra Ong Yai (พระองค์ใหญ่) remains impressive, both for its considerable size and for the elongated earlobes and wide eyes, the latter said by some authorities to represent a Mae Chaem style. Modern murals on the walls of the viharn recount the discovery of the Phra Ong Yai image in a notional wilderness, and the various stages of development at the temple since that distant time.<br/><br/>

Tucked away in a narrow valley, Mae Chaem (แม่แจ่ม) must rank as one of the least accessible corners of Chiang Mai. Located on the westernmost frontier of the province, it is isolated from the main Chiang Mai valley by the East Thanon Thongchai Range dominated by Doi Inthanon (ดอยอินทนนท์; at 2,565m Thailand’s highest mountain), and from neighbouring Mae Hong Son province to the west by the Central Thanon Thongchai Range, including Doi Khun Bong (ดอยขุนบง; 1,772m).
Wat Kong Kan (วัดกองกาน) was established as early as 1431. The main Buddha image called Phra Ong Yai (พระองค์ใหญ่) remains impressive, both for its considerable size and for the elongated earlobes and wide eyes, the latter said by some authorities to represent a Mae Chaem style. Modern murals on the walls of the viharn recount the discovery of the Phra Ong Yai image in a notional wilderness, and the various stages of development at the temple since that distant time.<br/><br/>

Tucked away in a narrow valley, Mae Chaem (แม่แจ่ม) must rank as one of the least accessible corners of Chiang Mai. Located on the westernmost frontier of the province, it is isolated from the main Chiang Mai valley by the East Thanon Thongchai Range dominated by Doi Inthanon (ดอยอินทนนท์; at 2,565m Thailand’s highest mountain), and from neighbouring Mae Hong Son province to the west by the Central Thanon Thongchai Range, including Doi Khun Bong (ดอยขุนบง; 1,772m).
Wat Puttha En (วัดพุทธเอ้น) is a typically northern Thai-style temple, established in 1868. It is chiefly remarkable for its small, wooden bot nam (โบสถ์น้ำ) or ordination hall, built atop pillars in the centre of a square lotus pond. Such ‘water chapels’ are rare across Thailand. The newly renovated viharn is attractive but unremarkable, but behind, on etiolated red wooden piles, stands a northern-style ho trai (scripture library), decorated with red and gold lai kram patterns.<br/><br/>

Tucked away in a narrow valley, Mae Chaem (แม่แจ่ม) must rank as one of the least accessible corners of Chiang Mai. Located on the westernmost frontier of the province, it is isolated from the main Chiang Mai valley by the East Thanon Thongchai Range dominated by Doi Inthanon (ดอยอินทนนท์; at 2,565m Thailand’s highest mountain), and from neighbouring Mae Hong Son province to the west by the Central Thanon Thongchai Range, including Doi Khun Bong (ดอยขุนบง; 1,772m).
Wat Puttha En (วัดพุทธเอ้น) is a typically northern Thai-style temple, established in 1868. It is chiefly remarkable for its small, wooden bot nam (โบสถ์น้ำ) or ordination hall, built atop pillars in the centre of a square lotus pond. Such ‘water chapels’ are rare across Thailand. The newly renovated viharn is attractive but unremarkable, but behind, on etiolated red wooden piles, stands a northern-style ho trai (scripture library), decorated with red and gold lai kram patterns.<br/><br/>

Tucked away in a narrow valley, Mae Chaem (แม่แจ่ม) must rank as one of the least accessible corners of Chiang Mai. Located on the westernmost frontier of the province, it is isolated from the main Chiang Mai valley by the East Thanon Thongchai Range dominated by Doi Inthanon (ดอยอินทนนท์; at 2,565m Thailand’s highest mountain), and from neighbouring Mae Hong Son province to the west by the Central Thanon Thongchai Range, including Doi Khun Bong (ดอยขุนบง; 1,772m).
Wat Puttha En (วัดพุทธเอ้น) is a typically northern Thai-style temple, established in 1868. It is chiefly remarkable for its small, wooden bot nam (โบสถ์น้ำ) or ordination hall, built atop pillars in the centre of a square lotus pond. Such ‘water chapels’ are rare across Thailand. The newly renovated viharn is attractive but unremarkable, but behind, on etiolated red wooden piles, stands a northern-style ho trai (scripture library), decorated with red and gold lai kram patterns.<br/><br/>

Tucked away in a narrow valley, Mae Chaem (แม่แจ่ม) must rank as one of the least accessible corners of Chiang Mai. Located on the westernmost frontier of the province, it is isolated from the main Chiang Mai valley by the East Thanon Thongchai Range dominated by Doi Inthanon (ดอยอินทนนท์; at 2,565m Thailand’s highest mountain), and from neighbouring Mae Hong Son province to the west by the Central Thanon Thongchai Range, including Doi Khun Bong (ดอยขุนบง; 1,772m).
Wat Puttha En (วัดพุทธเอ้น) is a typically northern Thai-style temple, established in 1868. It is chiefly remarkable for its small, wooden bot nam (โบสถ์น้ำ) or ordination hall, built atop pillars in the centre of a square lotus pond. Such ‘water chapels’ are rare across Thailand. The newly renovated viharn is attractive but unremarkable, but behind, on etiolated red wooden piles, stands a northern-style ho trai (scripture library), decorated with red and gold lai kram patterns.<br/><br/>

Tucked away in a narrow valley, Mae Chaem (แม่แจ่ม) must rank as one of the least accessible corners of Chiang Mai. Located on the westernmost frontier of the province, it is isolated from the main Chiang Mai valley by the East Thanon Thongchai Range dominated by Doi Inthanon (ดอยอินทนนท์; at 2,565m Thailand’s highest mountain), and from neighbouring Mae Hong Son province to the west by the Central Thanon Thongchai Range, including Doi Khun Bong (ดอยขุนบง; 1,772m).
Wat Puttha En (วัดพุทธเอ้น) is a typically northern Thai-style temple, established in 1868. It is chiefly remarkable for its small, wooden bot nam (โบสถ์น้ำ) or ordination hall, built atop pillars in the centre of a square lotus pond. Such ‘water chapels’ are rare across Thailand. The newly renovated viharn is attractive but unremarkable, but behind, on etiolated red wooden piles, stands a northern-style ho trai (scripture library), decorated with red and gold lai kram patterns.<br/><br/>

Tucked away in a narrow valley, Mae Chaem (แม่แจ่ม) must rank as one of the least accessible corners of Chiang Mai. Located on the westernmost frontier of the province, it is isolated from the main Chiang Mai valley by the East Thanon Thongchai Range dominated by Doi Inthanon (ดอยอินทนนท์; at 2,565m Thailand’s highest mountain), and from neighbouring Mae Hong Son province to the west by the Central Thanon Thongchai Range, including Doi Khun Bong (ดอยขุนบง; 1,772m).
Wat Puttha En (วัดพุทธเอ้น) is a typically northern Thai-style temple, established in 1868. It is chiefly remarkable for its small, wooden bot nam (โบสถ์น้ำ) or ordination hall, built atop pillars in the centre of a square lotus pond. Such ‘water chapels’ are rare across Thailand. The newly renovated viharn is attractive but unremarkable, but behind, on etiolated red wooden piles, stands a northern-style ho trai (scripture library), decorated with red and gold lai kram patterns.<br/><br/>

Tucked away in a narrow valley, Mae Chaem (แม่แจ่ม) must rank as one of the least accessible corners of Chiang Mai. Located on the westernmost frontier of the province, it is isolated from the main Chiang Mai valley by the East Thanon Thongchai Range dominated by Doi Inthanon (ดอยอินทนนท์; at 2,565m Thailand’s highest mountain), and from neighbouring Mae Hong Son province to the west by the Central Thanon Thongchai Range, including Doi Khun Bong (ดอยขุนบง; 1,772m).
Wat Puttha En (วัดพุทธเอ้น) is a typically northern Thai-style temple, established in 1868. It is chiefly remarkable for its small, wooden bot nam (โบสถ์น้ำ) or ordination hall, built atop pillars in the centre of a square lotus pond. Such ‘water chapels’ are rare across Thailand. The newly renovated viharn is attractive but unremarkable, but behind, on etiolated red wooden piles, stands a northern-style ho trai (scripture library), decorated with red and gold lai kram patterns.<br/><br/>

Tucked away in a narrow valley, Mae Chaem (แม่แจ่ม) must rank as one of the least accessible corners of Chiang Mai. Located on the westernmost frontier of the province, it is isolated from the main Chiang Mai valley by the East Thanon Thongchai Range dominated by Doi Inthanon (ดอยอินทนนท์; at 2,565m Thailand’s highest mountain), and from neighbouring Mae Hong Son province to the west by the Central Thanon Thongchai Range, including Doi Khun Bong (ดอยขุนบง; 1,772m).
Women in and around Mae Chaem weave intricately-patterned hems called tin chok (ตีนจก) for locally-produced phasin (ผ้าซิ่น) or tube dresses, usually in the shadow of traditional wooden houses raised on stilts. These tin chok, which feature elaborate and repetitive geometric patterns in predominantly red and gold hues, are generally considered to be the finest in northern Thailand.<br/><br/>

Tucked away in a narrow valley, Mae Chaem (แม่แจ่ม) must rank as one of the least accessible corners of Chiang Mai. Located on the westernmost frontier of the province, it is isolated from the main Chiang Mai valley by the East Thanon Thongchai Range dominated by Doi Inthanon (ดอยอินทนนท์; at 2,565m Thailand’s highest mountain), and from neighbouring Mae Hong Son province to the west by the Central Thanon Thongchai Range, including Doi Khun Bong (ดอยขุนบง; 1,772m).
Women in and around Mae Chaem weave intricately-patterned hems called tin chok (ตีนจก) for locally-produced phasin (ผ้าซิ่น) or tube dresses, usually in the shadow of traditional wooden houses raised on stilts. These tin chok, which feature elaborate and repetitive geometric patterns in predominantly red and gold hues, are generally considered to be the finest in northern Thailand.<br/><br/>

Tucked away in a narrow valley, Mae Chaem (แม่แจ่ม) must rank as one of the least accessible corners of Chiang Mai. Located on the westernmost frontier of the province, it is isolated from the main Chiang Mai valley by the East Thanon Thongchai Range dominated by Doi Inthanon (ดอยอินทนนท์; at 2,565m Thailand’s highest mountain), and from neighbouring Mae Hong Son province to the west by the Central Thanon Thongchai Range, including Doi Khun Bong (ดอยขุนบง; 1,772m).
Women in and around Mae Chaem weave intricately-patterned hems called tin chok (ตีนจก) for locally-produced phasin (ผ้าซิ่น) or tube dresses, usually in the shadow of traditional wooden houses raised on stilts. These tin chok, which feature elaborate and repetitive geometric patterns in predominantly red and gold hues, are generally considered to be the finest in northern Thailand.<br/><br/>

Tucked away in a narrow valley, Mae Chaem (แม่แจ่ม) must rank as one of the least accessible corners of Chiang Mai. Located on the westernmost frontier of the province, it is isolated from the main Chiang Mai valley by the East Thanon Thongchai Range dominated by Doi Inthanon (ดอยอินทนนท์; at 2,565m Thailand’s highest mountain), and from neighbouring Mae Hong Son province to the west by the Central Thanon Thongchai Range, including Doi Khun Bong (ดอยขุนบง; 1,772m).
Women in and around Mae Chaem weave intricately-patterned hems called tin chok (ตีนจก) for locally-produced phasin (ผ้าซิ่น) or tube dresses, usually in the shadow of traditional wooden houses raised on stilts. These tin chok, which feature elaborate and repetitive geometric patterns in predominantly red and gold hues, are generally considered to be the finest in northern Thailand.<br/><br/>

Tucked away in a narrow valley, Mae Chaem (แม่แจ่ม) must rank as one of the least accessible corners of Chiang Mai. Located on the westernmost frontier of the province, it is isolated from the main Chiang Mai valley by the East Thanon Thongchai Range dominated by Doi Inthanon (ดอยอินทนนท์; at 2,565m Thailand’s highest mountain), and from neighbouring Mae Hong Son province to the west by the Central Thanon Thongchai Range, including Doi Khun Bong (ดอยขุนบง; 1,772m).
Wat Yang Luang (วัดยางหลวง) is said to have been established in 1483, though in its present form in would appear to date from the mid-19th century. An exception to this is the obviously ancient brick ku or reliquary, partly concealed behind a gilded Buddha image in the bhumiparsa (‘Calling the Earth to Witness’) mudra in the darkly shadowed viharn.<br/><br/>

Tucked away in a narrow valley, Mae Chaem (แม่แจ่ม) must rank as one of the least accessible corners of Chiang Mai. Located on the westernmost frontier of the province, it is isolated from the main Chiang Mai valley by the East Thanon Thongchai Range dominated by Doi Inthanon (ดอยอินทนนท์; at 2,565m Thailand’s highest mountain), and from neighbouring Mae Hong Son province to the west by the Central Thanon Thongchai Range, including Doi Khun Bong (ดอยขุนบง; 1,772m).
Wat Yang Luang (วัดยางหลวง) is said to have been established in 1483, though in its present form in would appear to date from the mid-19th century. An exception to this is the obviously ancient brick ku or reliquary, partly concealed behind a gilded Buddha image in the bhumiparsa (‘Calling the Earth to Witness’) mudra in the darkly shadowed viharn.<br/><br/>

Tucked away in a narrow valley, Mae Chaem (แม่แจ่ม) must rank as one of the least accessible corners of Chiang Mai. Located on the westernmost frontier of the province, it is isolated from the main Chiang Mai valley by the East Thanon Thongchai Range dominated by Doi Inthanon (ดอยอินทนนท์; at 2,565m Thailand’s highest mountain), and from neighbouring Mae Hong Son province to the west by the Central Thanon Thongchai Range, including Doi Khun Bong (ดอยขุนบง; 1,772m).
Wat Yang Luang (วัดยางหลวง) is said to have been established in 1483, though in its present form in would appear to date from the mid-19th century. An exception to this is the obviously ancient brick ku or reliquary, partly concealed behind a gilded Buddha image in the bhumiparsa (‘Calling the Earth to Witness’) mudra in the darkly shadowed viharn.<br/><br/>

Tucked away in a narrow valley, Mae Chaem (แม่แจ่ม) must rank as one of the least accessible corners of Chiang Mai. Located on the westernmost frontier of the province, it is isolated from the main Chiang Mai valley by the East Thanon Thongchai Range dominated by Doi Inthanon (ดอยอินทนนท์; at 2,565m Thailand’s highest mountain), and from neighbouring Mae Hong Son province to the west by the Central Thanon Thongchai Range, including Doi Khun Bong (ดอยขุนบง; 1,772m).
Wat Yang Luang (วัดยางหลวง) is said to have been established in 1483, though in its present form in would appear to date from the mid-19th century. An exception to this is the obviously ancient brick ku or reliquary, partly concealed behind a gilded Buddha image in the bhumiparsa (‘Calling the Earth to Witness’) mudra in the darkly shadowed viharn.<br/><br/>

Tucked away in a narrow valley, Mae Chaem (แม่แจ่ม) must rank as one of the least accessible corners of Chiang Mai. Located on the westernmost frontier of the province, it is isolated from the main Chiang Mai valley by the East Thanon Thongchai Range dominated by Doi Inthanon (ดอยอินทนนท์; at 2,565m Thailand’s highest mountain), and from neighbouring Mae Hong Son province to the west by the Central Thanon Thongchai Range, including Doi Khun Bong (ดอยขุนบง; 1,772m).
Wat Yang Luang (วัดยางหลวง) is said to have been established in 1483, though in its present form in would appear to date from the mid-19th century. An exception to this is the obviously ancient brick ku or reliquary, partly concealed behind a gilded Buddha image in the bhumiparsa (‘Calling the Earth to Witness’) mudra in the darkly shadowed viharn.<br/><br/>

Tucked away in a narrow valley, Mae Chaem (แม่แจ่ม) must rank as one of the least accessible corners of Chiang Mai. Located on the westernmost frontier of the province, it is isolated from the main Chiang Mai valley by the East Thanon Thongchai Range dominated by Doi Inthanon (ดอยอินทนนท์; at 2,565m Thailand’s highest mountain), and from neighbouring Mae Hong Son province to the west by the Central Thanon Thongchai Range, including Doi Khun Bong (ดอยขุนบง; 1,772m).
Wat Yang Luang (วัดยางหลวง) is said to have been established in 1483, though in its present form in would appear to date from the mid-19th century. An exception to this is the obviously ancient brick ku or reliquary, partly concealed behind a gilded Buddha image in the bhumiparsa (‘Calling the Earth to Witness’) mudra in the darkly shadowed viharn.<br/><br/>

Tucked away in a narrow valley, Mae Chaem (แม่แจ่ม) must rank as one of the least accessible corners of Chiang Mai. Located on the westernmost frontier of the province, it is isolated from the main Chiang Mai valley by the East Thanon Thongchai Range dominated by Doi Inthanon (ดอยอินทนนท์; at 2,565m Thailand’s highest mountain), and from neighbouring Mae Hong Son province to the west by the Central Thanon Thongchai Range, including Doi Khun Bong (ดอยขุนบง; 1,772m).
Wat Pa Daet (วัดป่าแดด), the name – ‘sunlit woodland’ – indicates this was formerly a forest temple. A walled enclosure contains a viharn, sala and ho trai or library, while just outside stands an ubosot in traditional northern style, surrounded by a narrow moat.<br/><br/>

The viharn dates from 1877 and was painstakingly restored in the mid-1980s. Decorated in black and gold, the three-tiered roof sweeps low in typical Lan Na style, with elaborate winged gables supporting flaring naga. The steps leading to the portico are guarded by Burmese-style chinthe lions and naga-makara balustrades, with the chinthe emerging from the makara mouths, an unusual synthesis found elsewhere in the Mae Chaem Valley as well as at the ho trai of Wat Phra Singh in Chiang Mai.<br/><br/>

Within the viharn, after passing beneath gilded eyebrow pelmets, are a series of relatively well-preserved late 19th century murals, some of which appear to have been restored, while others are fading almost completely away due perhaps to salinity in the plaster. Of particular interest are panels showing northern Thai women with their long tresses, quite different to Bangkok fashions of the time, and a Buddha birth-scene, northern Thai style, with women crowding around Gautama’s mother as she gives birth standing upright, holding on to the branches of a tree.<br/><br/>

Tucked away in a narrow valley, Mae Chaem (แม่แจ่ม) must rank as one of the least accessible corners of Chiang Mai. Located on the westernmost frontier of the province, it is isolated from the main Chiang Mai valley by the East Thanon Thongchai Range dominated by Doi Inthanon (ดอยอินทนนท์; at 2,565m Thailand’s highest mountain), and from neighbouring Mae Hong Son province to the west by the Central Thanon Thongchai Range, including Doi Khun Bong (ดอยขุนบง; 1,772m).
Wat Pa Daet (วัดป่าแดด), the name – ‘sunlit woodland’ – indicates this was formerly a forest temple. A walled enclosure contains a viharn, sala and ho trai or library, while just outside stands an ubosot in traditional northern style, surrounded by a narrow moat.<br/><br/>

The viharn dates from 1877 and was painstakingly restored in the mid-1980s. Decorated in black and gold, the three-tiered roof sweeps low in typical Lan Na style, with elaborate winged gables supporting flaring naga. The steps leading to the portico are guarded by Burmese-style chinthe lions and naga-makara balustrades, with the chinthe emerging from the makara mouths, an unusual synthesis found elsewhere in the Mae Chaem Valley as well as at the ho trai of Wat Phra Singh in Chiang Mai.<br/><br/>

Within the viharn, after passing beneath gilded eyebrow pelmets, are a series of relatively well-preserved late 19th century murals, some of which appear to have been restored, while others are fading almost completely away due perhaps to salinity in the plaster. Of particular interest are panels showing northern Thai women with their long tresses, quite different to Bangkok fashions of the time, and a Buddha birth-scene, northern Thai style, with women crowding around Gautama’s mother as she gives birth standing upright, holding on to the branches of a tree.<br/><br/>

Tucked away in a narrow valley, Mae Chaem (แม่แจ่ม) must rank as one of the least accessible corners of Chiang Mai. Located on the westernmost frontier of the province, it is isolated from the main Chiang Mai valley by the East Thanon Thongchai Range dominated by Doi Inthanon (ดอยอินทนนท์; at 2,565m Thailand’s highest mountain), and from neighbouring Mae Hong Son province to the west by the Central Thanon Thongchai Range, including Doi Khun Bong (ดอยขุนบง; 1,772m).
Wat Pa Daet (วัดป่าแดด), the name – ‘sunlit woodland’ – indicates this was formerly a forest temple. A walled enclosure contains a viharn, sala and ho trai or library, while just outside stands an ubosot in traditional northern style, surrounded by a narrow moat.<br/><br/>

The viharn dates from 1877 and was painstakingly restored in the mid-1980s. Decorated in black and gold, the three-tiered roof sweeps low in typical Lan Na style, with elaborate winged gables supporting flaring naga. The steps leading to the portico are guarded by Burmese-style chinthe lions and naga-makara balustrades, with the chinthe emerging from the makara mouths, an unusual synthesis found elsewhere in the Mae Chaem Valley as well as at the ho trai of Wat Phra Singh in Chiang Mai.<br/><br/>

Within the viharn, after passing beneath gilded eyebrow pelmets, are a series of relatively well-preserved late 19th century murals, some of which appear to have been restored, while others are fading almost completely away due perhaps to salinity in the plaster. Of particular interest are panels showing northern Thai women with their long tresses, quite different to Bangkok fashions of the time, and a Buddha birth-scene, northern Thai style, with women crowding around Gautama’s mother as she gives birth standing upright, holding on to the branches of a tree.<br/><br/>

Tucked away in a narrow valley, Mae Chaem (แม่แจ่ม) must rank as one of the least accessible corners of Chiang Mai. Located on the westernmost frontier of the province, it is isolated from the main Chiang Mai valley by the East Thanon Thongchai Range dominated by Doi Inthanon (ดอยอินทนนท์; at 2,565m Thailand’s highest mountain), and from neighbouring Mae Hong Son province to the west by the Central Thanon Thongchai Range, including Doi Khun Bong (ดอยขุนบง; 1,772m).
Wat Pa Daet (วัดป่าแดด), the name – ‘sunlit woodland’ – indicates this was formerly a forest temple. A walled enclosure contains a viharn, sala and ho trai or library, while just outside stands an ubosot in traditional northern style, surrounded by a narrow moat.<br/><br/>

The viharn dates from 1877 and was painstakingly restored in the mid-1980s. Decorated in black and gold, the three-tiered roof sweeps low in typical Lan Na style, with elaborate winged gables supporting flaring naga. The steps leading to the portico are guarded by Burmese-style chinthe lions and naga-makara balustrades, with the chinthe emerging from the makara mouths, an unusual synthesis found elsewhere in the Mae Chaem Valley as well as at the ho trai of Wat Phra Singh in Chiang Mai.<br/><br/>

Within the viharn, after passing beneath gilded eyebrow pelmets, are a series of relatively well-preserved late 19th century murals, some of which appear to have been restored, while others are fading almost completely away due perhaps to salinity in the plaster. Of particular interest are panels showing northern Thai women with their long tresses, quite different to Bangkok fashions of the time, and a Buddha birth-scene, northern Thai style, with women crowding around Gautama’s mother as she gives birth standing upright, holding on to the branches of a tree.<br/><br/>

Tucked away in a narrow valley, Mae Chaem (แม่แจ่ม) must rank as one of the least accessible corners of Chiang Mai. Located on the westernmost frontier of the province, it is isolated from the main Chiang Mai valley by the East Thanon Thongchai Range dominated by Doi Inthanon (ดอยอินทนนท์; at 2,565m Thailand’s highest mountain), and from neighbouring Mae Hong Son province to the west by the Central Thanon Thongchai Range, including Doi Khun Bong (ดอยขุนบง; 1,772m).
Wat Pa Daet (วัดป่าแดด), the name – ‘sunlit woodland’ – indicates this was formerly a forest temple. A walled enclosure contains a viharn, sala and ho trai or library, while just outside stands an ubosot in traditional northern style, surrounded by a narrow moat.<br/><br/>

The viharn dates from 1877 and was painstakingly restored in the mid-1980s. Decorated in black and gold, the three-tiered roof sweeps low in typical Lan Na style, with elaborate winged gables supporting flaring naga. The steps leading to the portico are guarded by Burmese-style chinthe lions and naga-makara balustrades, with the chinthe emerging from the makara mouths, an unusual synthesis found elsewhere in the Mae Chaem Valley as well as at the ho trai of Wat Phra Singh in Chiang Mai.<br/><br/>

Within the viharn, after passing beneath gilded eyebrow pelmets, are a series of relatively well-preserved late 19th century murals, some of which appear to have been restored, while others are fading almost completely away due perhaps to salinity in the plaster. Of particular interest are panels showing northern Thai women with their long tresses, quite different to Bangkok fashions of the time, and a Buddha birth-scene, northern Thai style, with women crowding around Gautama’s mother as she gives birth standing upright, holding on to the branches of a tree.<br/><br/>

Tucked away in a narrow valley, Mae Chaem (แม่แจ่ม) must rank as one of the least accessible corners of Chiang Mai. Located on the westernmost frontier of the province, it is isolated from the main Chiang Mai valley by the East Thanon Thongchai Range dominated by Doi Inthanon (ดอยอินทนนท์; at 2,565m Thailand’s highest mountain), and from neighbouring Mae Hong Son province to the west by the Central Thanon Thongchai Range, including Doi Khun Bong (ดอยขุนบง; 1,772m).
Wat Pa Daet (วัดป่าแดด), the name – ‘sunlit woodland’ – indicates this was formerly a forest temple. A walled enclosure contains a viharn, sala and ho trai or library, while just outside stands an ubosot in traditional northern style, surrounded by a narrow moat.<br/><br/>

The viharn dates from 1877 and was painstakingly restored in the mid-1980s. Decorated in black and gold, the three-tiered roof sweeps low in typical Lan Na style, with elaborate winged gables supporting flaring naga. The steps leading to the portico are guarded by Burmese-style chinthe lions and naga-makara balustrades, with the chinthe emerging from the makara mouths, an unusual synthesis found elsewhere in the Mae Chaem Valley as well as at the ho trai of Wat Phra Singh in Chiang Mai.<br/><br/>

Within the viharn, after passing beneath gilded eyebrow pelmets, are a series of relatively well-preserved late 19th century murals, some of which appear to have been restored, while others are fading almost completely away due perhaps to salinity in the plaster. Of particular interest are panels showing northern Thai women with their long tresses, quite different to Bangkok fashions of the time, and a Buddha birth-scene, northern Thai style, with women crowding around Gautama’s mother as she gives birth standing upright, holding on to the branches of a tree.<br/><br/>

Tucked away in a narrow valley, Mae Chaem (แม่แจ่ม) must rank as one of the least accessible corners of Chiang Mai. Located on the westernmost frontier of the province, it is isolated from the main Chiang Mai valley by the East Thanon Thongchai Range dominated by Doi Inthanon (ดอยอินทนนท์; at 2,565m Thailand’s highest mountain), and from neighbouring Mae Hong Son province to the west by the Central Thanon Thongchai Range, including Doi Khun Bong (ดอยขุนบง; 1,772m).
Wat Pa Daet (วัดป่าแดด), the name – ‘sunlit woodland’ – indicates this was formerly a forest temple. A walled enclosure contains a viharn, sala and ho trai or library, while just outside stands an ubosot in traditional northern style, surrounded by a narrow moat.<br/><br/>

The viharn dates from 1877 and was painstakingly restored in the mid-1980s. Decorated in black and gold, the three-tiered roof sweeps low in typical Lan Na style, with elaborate winged gables supporting flaring naga. The steps leading to the portico are guarded by Burmese-style chinthe lions and naga-makara balustrades, with the chinthe emerging from the makara mouths, an unusual synthesis found elsewhere in the Mae Chaem Valley as well as at the ho trai of Wat Phra Singh in Chiang Mai.<br/><br/>

Within the viharn, after passing beneath gilded eyebrow pelmets, are a series of relatively well-preserved late 19th century murals, some of which appear to have been restored, while others are fading almost completely away due perhaps to salinity in the plaster. Of particular interest are panels showing northern Thai women with their long tresses, quite different to Bangkok fashions of the time, and a Buddha birth-scene, northern Thai style, with women crowding around Gautama’s mother as she gives birth standing upright, holding on to the branches of a tree.<br/><br/>

Tucked away in a narrow valley, Mae Chaem (แม่แจ่ม) must rank as one of the least accessible corners of Chiang Mai. Located on the westernmost frontier of the province, it is isolated from the main Chiang Mai valley by the East Thanon Thongchai Range dominated by Doi Inthanon (ดอยอินทนนท์; at 2,565m Thailand’s highest mountain), and from neighbouring Mae Hong Son province to the west by the Central Thanon Thongchai Range, including Doi Khun Bong (ดอยขุนบง; 1,772m).
Wat Pa Daet (วัดป่าแดด), the name – ‘sunlit woodland’ – indicates this was formerly a forest temple. A walled enclosure contains a viharn, sala and ho trai or library, while just outside stands an ubosot in traditional northern style, surrounded by a narrow moat.<br/><br/>

The viharn dates from 1877 and was painstakingly restored in the mid-1980s. Decorated in black and gold, the three-tiered roof sweeps low in typical Lan Na style, with elaborate winged gables supporting flaring naga. The steps leading to the portico are guarded by Burmese-style chinthe lions and naga-makara balustrades, with the chinthe emerging from the makara mouths, an unusual synthesis found elsewhere in the Mae Chaem Valley as well as at the ho trai of Wat Phra Singh in Chiang Mai.<br/><br/>

Within the viharn, after passing beneath gilded eyebrow pelmets, are a series of relatively well-preserved late 19th century murals, some of which appear to have been restored, while others are fading almost completely away due perhaps to salinity in the plaster. Of particular interest are panels showing northern Thai women with their long tresses, quite different to Bangkok fashions of the time, and a Buddha birth-scene, northern Thai style, with women crowding around Gautama’s mother as she gives birth standing upright, holding on to the branches of a tree.<br/><br/>

Tucked away in a narrow valley, Mae Chaem (แม่แจ่ม) must rank as one of the least accessible corners of Chiang Mai. Located on the westernmost frontier of the province, it is isolated from the main Chiang Mai valley by the East Thanon Thongchai Range dominated by Doi Inthanon (ดอยอินทนนท์; at 2,565m Thailand’s highest mountain), and from neighbouring Mae Hong Son province to the west by the Central Thanon Thongchai Range, including Doi Khun Bong (ดอยขุนบง; 1,772m).
Wat Pa Daet (วัดป่าแดด), the name – ‘sunlit woodland’ – indicates this was formerly a forest temple. A walled enclosure contains a viharn, sala and ho trai or library, while just outside stands an ubosot in traditional northern style, surrounded by a narrow moat.<br/><br/>

The viharn dates from 1877 and was painstakingly restored in the mid-1980s. Decorated in black and gold, the three-tiered roof sweeps low in typical Lan Na style, with elaborate winged gables supporting flaring naga. The steps leading to the portico are guarded by Burmese-style chinthe lions and naga-makara balustrades, with the chinthe emerging from the makara mouths, an unusual synthesis found elsewhere in the Mae Chaem Valley as well as at the ho trai of Wat Phra Singh in Chiang Mai.<br/><br/>

Within the viharn, after passing beneath gilded eyebrow pelmets, are a series of relatively well-preserved late 19th century murals, some of which appear to have been restored, while others are fading almost completely away due perhaps to salinity in the plaster. Of particular interest are panels showing northern Thai women with their long tresses, quite different to Bangkok fashions of the time, and a Buddha birth-scene, northern Thai style, with women crowding around Gautama’s mother as she gives birth standing upright, holding on to the branches of a tree.<br/><br/>

Tucked away in a narrow valley, Mae Chaem (แม่แจ่ม) must rank as one of the least accessible corners of Chiang Mai. Located on the westernmost frontier of the province, it is isolated from the main Chiang Mai valley by the East Thanon Thongchai Range dominated by Doi Inthanon (ดอยอินทนนท์; at 2,565m Thailand’s highest mountain), and from neighbouring Mae Hong Son province to the west by the Central Thanon Thongchai Range, including Doi Khun Bong (ดอยขุนบง; 1,772m).
Wat Pa Daet (วัดป่าแดด), the name – ‘sunlit woodland’ – indicates this was formerly a forest temple. A walled enclosure contains a viharn, sala and ho trai or library, while just outside stands an ubosot in traditional northern style, surrounded by a narrow moat.<br/><br/>

The viharn dates from 1877 and was painstakingly restored in the mid-1980s. Decorated in black and gold, the three-tiered roof sweeps low in typical Lan Na style, with elaborate winged gables supporting flaring naga. The steps leading to the portico are guarded by Burmese-style chinthe lions and naga-makara balustrades, with the chinthe emerging from the makara mouths, an unusual synthesis found elsewhere in the Mae Chaem Valley as well as at the ho trai of Wat Phra Singh in Chiang Mai.<br/><br/>

Within the viharn, after passing beneath gilded eyebrow pelmets, are a series of relatively well-preserved late 19th century murals, some of which appear to have been restored, while others are fading almost completely away due perhaps to salinity in the plaster. Of particular interest are panels showing northern Thai women with their long tresses, quite different to Bangkok fashions of the time, and a Buddha birth-scene, northern Thai style, with women crowding around Gautama’s mother as she gives birth standing upright, holding on to the branches of a tree.<br/><br/>

Tucked away in a narrow valley, Mae Chaem (แม่แจ่ม) must rank as one of the least accessible corners of Chiang Mai. Located on the westernmost frontier of the province, it is isolated from the main Chiang Mai valley by the East Thanon Thongchai Range dominated by Doi Inthanon (ดอยอินทนนท์; at 2,565m Thailand’s highest mountain), and from neighbouring Mae Hong Son province to the west by the Central Thanon Thongchai Range, including Doi Khun Bong (ดอยขุนบง; 1,772m).
Wat Pa Daet (วัดป่าแดด), the name – ‘sunlit woodland’ – indicates this was formerly a forest temple. A walled enclosure contains a viharn, sala and ho trai or library, while just outside stands an ubosot in traditional northern style, surrounded by a narrow moat.<br/><br/>

The viharn dates from 1877 and was painstakingly restored in the mid-1980s. Decorated in black and gold, the three-tiered roof sweeps low in typical Lan Na style, with elaborate winged gables supporting flaring naga. The steps leading to the portico are guarded by Burmese-style chinthe lions and naga-makara balustrades, with the chinthe emerging from the makara mouths, an unusual synthesis found elsewhere in the Mae Chaem Valley as well as at the ho trai of Wat Phra Singh in Chiang Mai.<br/><br/>

Within the viharn, after passing beneath gilded eyebrow pelmets, are a series of relatively well-preserved late 19th century murals, some of which appear to have been restored, while others are fading almost completely away due perhaps to salinity in the plaster. Of particular interest are panels showing northern Thai women with their long tresses, quite different to Bangkok fashions of the time, and a Buddha birth-scene, northern Thai style, with women crowding around Gautama’s mother as she gives birth standing upright, holding on to the branches of a tree.<br/><br/>

Tucked away in a narrow valley, Mae Chaem (แม่แจ่ม) must rank as one of the least accessible corners of Chiang Mai. Located on the westernmost frontier of the province, it is isolated from the main Chiang Mai valley by the East Thanon Thongchai Range dominated by Doi Inthanon (ดอยอินทนนท์; at 2,565m Thailand’s highest mountain), and from neighbouring Mae Hong Son province to the west by the Central Thanon Thongchai Range, including Doi Khun Bong (ดอยขุนบง; 1,772m).
Wat Pa Daet (วัดป่าแดด), the name – ‘sunlit woodland’ – indicates this was formerly a forest temple. A walled enclosure contains a viharn, sala and ho trai or library, while just outside stands an ubosot in traditional northern style, surrounded by a narrow moat.<br/><br/>

The viharn dates from 1877 and was painstakingly restored in the mid-1980s. Decorated in black and gold, the three-tiered roof sweeps low in typical Lan Na style, with elaborate winged gables supporting flaring naga. The steps leading to the portico are guarded by Burmese-style chinthe lions and naga-makara balustrades, with the chinthe emerging from the makara mouths, an unusual synthesis found elsewhere in the Mae Chaem Valley as well as at the ho trai of Wat Phra Singh in Chiang Mai.<br/><br/>

Within the viharn, after passing beneath gilded eyebrow pelmets, are a series of relatively well-preserved late 19th century murals, some of which appear to have been restored, while others are fading almost completely away due perhaps to salinity in the plaster. Of particular interest are panels showing northern Thai women with their long tresses, quite different to Bangkok fashions of the time, and a Buddha birth-scene, northern Thai style, with women crowding around Gautama’s mother as she gives birth standing upright, holding on to the branches of a tree.<br/><br/>

Tucked away in a narrow valley, Mae Chaem (แม่แจ่ม) must rank as one of the least accessible corners of Chiang Mai. Located on the westernmost frontier of the province, it is isolated from the main Chiang Mai valley by the East Thanon Thongchai Range dominated by Doi Inthanon (ดอยอินทนนท์; at 2,565m Thailand’s highest mountain), and from neighbouring Mae Hong Son province to the west by the Central Thanon Thongchai Range, including Doi Khun Bong (ดอยขุนบง; 1,772m).
Wat Pa Daet (วัดป่าแดด), the name – ‘sunlit woodland’ – indicates this was formerly a forest temple. A walled enclosure contains a viharn, sala and ho trai or library, while just outside stands an ubosot in traditional northern style, surrounded by a narrow moat.<br/><br/>

The viharn dates from 1877 and was painstakingly restored in the mid-1980s. Decorated in black and gold, the three-tiered roof sweeps low in typical Lan Na style, with elaborate winged gables supporting flaring naga. The steps leading to the portico are guarded by Burmese-style chinthe lions and naga-makara balustrades, with the chinthe emerging from the makara mouths, an unusual synthesis found elsewhere in the Mae Chaem Valley as well as at the ho trai of Wat Phra Singh in Chiang Mai.<br/><br/>

Within the viharn, after passing beneath gilded eyebrow pelmets, are a series of relatively well-preserved late 19th century murals, some of which appear to have been restored, while others are fading almost completely away due perhaps to salinity in the plaster. Of particular interest are panels showing northern Thai women with their long tresses, quite different to Bangkok fashions of the time, and a Buddha birth-scene, northern Thai style, with women crowding around Gautama’s mother as she gives birth standing upright, holding on to the branches of a tree.<br/><br/>

Tucked away in a narrow valley, Mae Chaem (แม่แจ่ม) must rank as one of the least accessible corners of Chiang Mai. Located on the westernmost frontier of the province, it is isolated from the main Chiang Mai valley by the East Thanon Thongchai Range dominated by Doi Inthanon (ดอยอินทนนท์; at 2,565m Thailand’s highest mountain), and from neighbouring Mae Hong Son province to the west by the Central Thanon Thongchai Range, including Doi Khun Bong (ดอยขุนบง; 1,772m).
Wat Pa Daet (วัดป่าแดด), the name – ‘sunlit woodland’ – indicates this was formerly a forest temple. A walled enclosure contains a viharn, sala and ho trai or library, while just outside stands an ubosot in traditional northern style, surrounded by a narrow moat.<br/><br/>

The viharn dates from 1877 and was painstakingly restored in the mid-1980s. Decorated in black and gold, the three-tiered roof sweeps low in typical Lan Na style, with elaborate winged gables supporting flaring naga. The steps leading to the portico are guarded by Burmese-style chinthe lions and naga-makara balustrades, with the chinthe emerging from the makara mouths, an unusual synthesis found elsewhere in the Mae Chaem Valley as well as at the ho trai of Wat Phra Singh in Chiang Mai.<br/><br/>

Within the viharn, after passing beneath gilded eyebrow pelmets, are a series of relatively well-preserved late 19th century murals, some of which appear to have been restored, while others are fading almost completely away due perhaps to salinity in the plaster. Of particular interest are panels showing northern Thai women with their long tresses, quite different to Bangkok fashions of the time, and a Buddha birth-scene, northern Thai style, with women crowding around Gautama’s mother as she gives birth standing upright, holding on to the branches of a tree.<br/><br/>

Tucked away in a narrow valley, Mae Chaem (แม่แจ่ม) must rank as one of the least accessible corners of Chiang Mai. Located on the westernmost frontier of the province, it is isolated from the main Chiang Mai valley by the East Thanon Thongchai Range dominated by Doi Inthanon (ดอยอินทนนท์; at 2,565m Thailand’s highest mountain), and from neighbouring Mae Hong Son province to the west by the Central Thanon Thongchai Range, including Doi Khun Bong (ดอยขุนบง; 1,772m).
Wat Pa Daet (วัดป่าแดด), the name – ‘sunlit woodland’ – indicates this was formerly a forest temple. A walled enclosure contains a viharn, sala and ho trai or library, while just outside stands an ubosot in traditional northern style, surrounded by a narrow moat.<br/><br/>

The viharn dates from 1877 and was painstakingly restored in the mid-1980s. Decorated in black and gold, the three-tiered roof sweeps low in typical Lan Na style, with elaborate winged gables supporting flaring naga. The steps leading to the portico are guarded by Burmese-style chinthe lions and naga-makara balustrades, with the chinthe emerging from the makara mouths, an unusual synthesis found elsewhere in the Mae Chaem Valley as well as at the ho trai of Wat Phra Singh in Chiang Mai.<br/><br/>

Within the viharn, after passing beneath gilded eyebrow pelmets, are a series of relatively well-preserved late 19th century murals, some of which appear to have been restored, while others are fading almost completely away due perhaps to salinity in the plaster. Of particular interest are panels showing northern Thai women with their long tresses, quite different to Bangkok fashions of the time, and a Buddha birth-scene, northern Thai style, with women crowding around Gautama’s mother as she gives birth standing upright, holding on to the branches of a tree.<br/><br/>

Tucked away in a narrow valley, Mae Chaem (แม่แจ่ม) must rank as one of the least accessible corners of Chiang Mai. Located on the westernmost frontier of the province, it is isolated from the main Chiang Mai valley by the East Thanon Thongchai Range dominated by Doi Inthanon (ดอยอินทนนท์; at 2,565m Thailand’s highest mountain), and from neighbouring Mae Hong Son province to the west by the Central Thanon Thongchai Range, including Doi Khun Bong (ดอยขุนบง; 1,772m).
Wat Pa Daet (วัดป่าแดด), the name – ‘sunlit woodland’ – indicates this was formerly a forest temple. A walled enclosure contains a viharn, sala and ho trai or library, while just outside stands an ubosot in traditional northern style, surrounded by a narrow moat.<br/><br/>

The viharn dates from 1877 and was painstakingly restored in the mid-1980s. Decorated in black and gold, the three-tiered roof sweeps low in typical Lan Na style, with elaborate winged gables supporting flaring naga. The steps leading to the portico are guarded by Burmese-style chinthe lions and naga-makara balustrades, with the chinthe emerging from the makara mouths, an unusual synthesis found elsewhere in the Mae Chaem Valley as well as at the ho trai of Wat Phra Singh in Chiang Mai.<br/><br/>

Within the viharn, after passing beneath gilded eyebrow pelmets, are a series of relatively well-preserved late 19th century murals, some of which appear to have been restored, while others are fading almost completely away due perhaps to salinity in the plaster. Of particular interest are panels showing northern Thai women with their long tresses, quite different to Bangkok fashions of the time, and a Buddha birth-scene, northern Thai style, with women crowding around Gautama’s mother as she gives birth standing upright, holding on to the branches of a tree.<br/><br/>

Tucked away in a narrow valley, Mae Chaem (แม่แจ่ม) must rank as one of the least accessible corners of Chiang Mai. Located on the westernmost frontier of the province, it is isolated from the main Chiang Mai valley by the East Thanon Thongchai Range dominated by Doi Inthanon (ดอยอินทนนท์; at 2,565m Thailand’s highest mountain), and from neighbouring Mae Hong Son province to the west by the Central Thanon Thongchai Range, including Doi Khun Bong (ดอยขุนบง; 1,772m).