Thailand · TH

Wat Ampharam - Muang Ngom

Wat Ampharam, the village wat of Ban Muang Ngum in Tambon Mueang Ngai, is one of the oldest Buddhist temples in its subdistrict, a quiet working monastery about 11 km from the town of Chiang Dao in northern Thailand. Far from the tourist trail of the famous cave temples, it offers a glimpse of everyday Lanna monastic life in the rice-growing plain on the western side of the Doi Luang Chiang Dao valley. Its real claim to attention is a revered Buddha image known as Phra Sri Sing Mueang Ngai, said to be more than 900 years old and regarded as the sacred guardian of the wat. The temple grounds keep the layout of an old northern monastery, ringed by a moat on all four sides and holding a lotus pond sheltered with fish.