Tuesday 30 January 2024
Prapokkloa Road

The walled old city of Chiang Mai is approximately square, very close to 1600 meters square on each side. It is remarkable how accurate the layout is, given that this was constructed more than 700 years ago. And 1600 meters is very close to 1 mile. Within the 1 square mile of the old walled city of Chiang Mai are at least 50 Buddhist temples. I pass by many without much of a thought, having seen them many times over my 11 visits to Chiang Mai. Today, with only a couple of days left before I return home to the United States, I decided to visit the temples on Prapokkloa Road, the road on which The 3-Sis and See You Soon are located, my two “homes away from home” here in Chiang Mai. There are six temples on Prapokkloa Road from Chiang Mai Gate to just past The 3-Sis guest house, a distance of about 700 meters. Prapokkloa Road runs north from Chiang Mai Gate on the south side of the old city all the way to Chang Phuak Gate on the north side of the old city. To start this exploration, I walked down to Chiang Mai Gate to the first of the temples, and from there I’ll walk north visiting each of the six temples.

Wat Fon Soi

Wat Fon Soi is the closest temple to Chiang Mai Gate. Because of the location and how busy the Chiang Mai Gate market is, Wat Fon Soi gets a good number of visitors.

Wat Fon Soi is a small space with the few structures all close together. The viharn (worship hall) near the entrance is not large. I have never seen the inside, because the doors are always closed when I have visited. The viharn is intricately decorated in a red and gold motif and is in the Lanna style with a three-tier, overlapping roof that I could not get a good photo of. There is no portico or porch due to the lack of space, so the stairs guarded by the fierce naga dragon creatures lead directly to the doors. Though closed so I could not see inside, I do like the doors decorated with the thewada.

Behind the viharn, as is customary for Buddhist temples, is the chedi. This chedi is very modern-looking and very white. The chedi is guarded at the corners by singhas, mythical lion-like beasts. Next to the chedi is a Ho Rakang, a bell tower.

On the other side of the chedi and next to the Ho Rakang is a Ho Trai, a library of Buddhist texts and documents, decorated in the same red and gold motif as the viharn.

Wat Fon Soi has been maintained well or has undergone a recent uplift with the buildings and the chedi very clean and white. And, while on a very busy street with a great deal of foot traffic passing, the temple is quiet and serene in character.

Next: Prapokkloa Temples 2 – Wat Jed Lin