Phrae's Wat Luang Temple

Wat Luang is the oldest temple in Phrae, and its central location on Kam Lu Road Soi 1 - in the heart of the city’s most historic district - makes it one of the easiest to visit. An icon of the town, it is often the first stop on a walking tour of the old center, where crumbling stone architecture mingles with a few more recent structures.

Most historians believe Wat Luang was built in the 12th century, when Phrae itself was founded; older legends push its origins back to a 9th-century leader named Phor Khun Luang Pol. Whatever the truth of those stories, the buildings standing today are far younger.

The oldest surviving feature is a crumbling brick town gate at the temple entrance, now used as a shrine to a former Lanna leader. Nearby stands a very old octagonal chedi called Chang Kham, ringed at its base by sculpted elephants. A small museum on the grounds - usually open only at weekends - holds Buddha images, palm-leaf manuscripts, and old photographs.

Walk or take a trishaw from anywhere in the city center.

• What is it? The original and oldest temple of Phrae.
• Opening hours: 08:00 - 19:00 daily; museum 09:00 - 16:00 on Saturdays.
• Entrance fee: Free.
• Address: Kam Lu Road, Soi 1.
• Where: In the heart of Phrae town.

The temple’s viharn (assembly hall) is much more recent, built in the 1870s as a classic example of Lanna-style architecture, though its laterite facade was added later. The Buddha image inside is a replica of an impressive Chiang Saen - style figure that was looted at the turn of the 20th century.

Together, the ancient gate, the elephant-ringed chedi, and the Lanna viharn make Wat Luang a compact record of Phrae’s long religious history.