Phra That Doi Pu Khao is located in Wat Phrat Phu Khao, also known as Wat Phra That Pu Khao. It is situated on a small mountain named Doi Chiang Miang on the bank of Ruak River. With its long-standing background, the temple is now listed one of the important historic sites of Thailand.
A replica of the Buddha image of the King of Chiang San was housed inside Wat Phra That Pu Khao. The original copy of the Buddha image of the temple is placed outside Phra Viharn. Only some parts of the body of the Buddha are left for visitors to pay respect. On top of Doi Chiang Miang are located Phra That Doi Pu Khao, of which only some remains are left to be seen, and Phra Viharn, a building with over a thousand year old where some images of Buddha can be found.
Legend goes that Phra That Doi Pu Khao was built in 759 AD, during the reign of Phaya Lao Kao Keaw Ma Mueng, the second king of the Kingdom of Hiran or of Ngoenyang. When the king was a child, two giant crabs arrived in the field and destroyed crops of the townspeople. His father, Phraya Lavajakaraj or the first king of Mengrai dynasty, ordered him to tame the giant crabs. The child caught only one of the two crabs as another had fled into a path under the mountain. When Phaya Lao Kao Keaw Ma Mueng succeeded to the throne, he ordered a Phra That to be built to block the path of the giant crab. The Phra That was from then on names ‘Pu Khao’ or ‘the crab enters’. Furthermore, legend also has it that the Buddha himself had visited this area and predicted that the place would be named ‘Doi Pu Khao’, where future prosperity is expected. An extensive scenic panorama of the border of Thailand, Lao and Burma is available on the top of Doi Chiang Miang.
For more information, contact: Phra That Doi Pu Khao, Moo1, Tambon Wiang, Amphoe Chiang Saen, Chiang Rai Province.
Tel: 05 378 4224, mobile: 081 706 0311
How to get there:
- Travel along Chiang Saen-Sob Ruak route. Take the left lane before reaching the Golden Triangle. Drive up the steep road for about 400 meters to arrive at the parking space of the temple.
