Wat Pa Lan

Operating day: Daily

Operating time: 08.00 - 17.00

 

Wat Pa Lan is a private-sector Buddhist temple under the Mahanikaya order located at 3 Moo 5, Ban Pa Lan, Ban Pong Subdistrict, Phrao District, Chiang Mai Province 50190. The temple was officially established in 1877 and received its Wisungkham Sima in 1997. The current abbot is Phra Khru Wisut Panyakun Chittapanyo. Wat Pa Lan is an old community temple of Ban Pa Lan and an important spiritual center of Ban Pong Subdistrict, with a history connected to settlers from Lampang, the former Ban Lo Pa Lan community, the earlier Wat Ban Lo, and the old abandoned sacred area known locally as Buak Phra Chao.

 

Ban Pa Lan is Moo 5 of Ban Pong Subdistrict, Phrao District, Chiang Mai Province. Ban Pong Subdistrict has a layered historical background shaped by Lue, Khoen, Shan, Yong, and other northern Thai communities. The name Ban Pong comes from natural hot springs locally called “pong,” and the area around Ban Pong, Ban Thung Noi, and Nong Hai is associated with the old settlement landscape known as Wiang Wai. Wat Pa Lan therefore stands within a cultural landscape of old settlements, waterways, forests, village temples, and local Buddhist memory.

 

The history of Ban Pa Lan begins with people from Lampang around 1857. Local accounts describe a cattle trader and a monk named Phra Peng who found a fertile forest of pa lan trees and invited around four to five families to settle there. The early village was called Ban Lo Pa Lan because of a low-lying water source in the area. Later, when the community became an official village, the word “Lo” was removed, leaving the name Ban Pa Lan. The village name therefore preserves both landscape, plant life, and settlement memory.

 

Wat Pa Lan began from the earlier Wat Ban Lo, which stood at the end of the village around 1877. As more people moved and settled toward the northern part of the village, the temple was relocated northward and renamed after the village as Wat Pa Lan. This movement reflects the close relationship between a village temple and the living community. When the center of settlement changed, the temple moved closer to the people it served.

 

The former sacred site connected with the old temple is remembered as Buak Phra Chao. Local memory says many Buddha images were found there, while some images that could not be moved were left in the shallow pond or “buak,” which no longer remains in its former condition. This story gives Wat Pa Lan a deeper historical layer, linking the present temple with old sacred remains and village memory.

 

The temple land covers 2 rai, 2 ngan and 5 square wah, with one additional monastic land plot of 1 rai, 3 ngan and 30 square wah. Its boundaries are associated with public irrigation channels and public roads. This setting reflects the character of a rural Lanna community temple, where temple land, village pathways, agricultural areas, and water systems are closely connected.

 

The main structures of Wat Pa Lan include a sermon hall, monks’ residences, viharn, alms pavilion, kitchen, temple courtyard, merit-making areas, Dhamma listening areas, and community ceremony spaces. These structures support the ordinary functions of a living village temple: worship, merit-making, annual ceremonies, monastic residence, communal cooking, and Buddhist gatherings.

 

The important sacred objects of Wat Pa Lan include bronze Buddha images, Phra Saen Chae, Phra Singh Song, and Phra Singh Sam. These sacred images are central to the devotional life of the temple and the community. Visitors should understand them not only as religious art objects, but also as focal points of village faith maintained across generations.

 

Wat Pa Lan has a long history of temple administration. Earlier abbots recorded in historical sources include Khruba Beng, Phra Chanta, Phra Nuan, Phra Si Mun, Phra Mueang Jai, Phra Intha, Phra In Kham, Phra Duangta, Phra Somphon Yanawaro, Phra Sanong Katapunyo, and Phra Athikan Bunchuai Chittapanyo. In contemporary information, the temple is led by Phra Khru Wisut Panyakun Chittapanyo. This continuity shows that the temple has remained active in monastic and community life over many generations.

 

Wat Pa Lan also played an educational and community communication role. A Sunday Buddhist education center was opened in 1982, and the temple area was associated with a village broadcasting tower and a newspaper reading point. This shows that the temple was not only a place for ritual activity, but also a learning and communication space for the village.

 

The main highlight of Wat Pa Lan is its close connection between village history and temple history. Visitors can learn about Ban Lo Pa Lan, the pa lan forest, Phra Peng, the families from Lampang, Wat Ban Lo, Buak Phra Chao, and the relocation of the temple as the village expanded. These stories make Wat Pa Lan more than a simple temple stop. It is a place where settlement history, faith, and local memory meet.

 

The atmosphere of Wat Pa Lan is suitable for quiet worship, merit-making, and learning about a living community temple. Visitors can begin by paying respect inside the viharn, then observe the temple courtyard, sermon hall, alms pavilion, and community activity spaces. The temple is best appreciated slowly because its value lies in local history and devotional continuity rather than in monumental scale.

 

Wat Pa Lan plays several roles in the local community. Religiously, it is a place for worship, merit-making, Dhamma listening, precepts, and Buddhist ceremonies. Socially, it is a gathering place for ordinations, funerals, annual merit-making, and community activities. Culturally, it preserves the memory of Ban Pa Lan and its connection with settlers from Lampang. Historically, it records the development of the village from the late nineteenth century to the present.

 

Temple activities at Wat Pa Lan follow the Buddhist calendar and local Lanna traditions. Important activities include Buddhist holy day merit-making, Pha Pa, Kathin, Dhamma sermons, Buddhist Lent, end-of-Lent activities, Northern Thai New Year, Loy Krathong, and annual village merit-making events. These activities keep the temple central to the yearly rhythm of Ban Pa Lan.

 

Wat Pa Lan is suitable for visitors interested in old temples of Phrao, Ban Pong community history, Lampang-linked settlement memory, and temple routes through rural Chiang Mai. Travelers should understand it alongside nearby temples such as Wat Ban Pong, Wat Thung Noi, Wat Ban Dong, Wat Pa Wai, Wat Pa Hin, and Wat Ku Bia, which together form the sacred landscape of Ban Pong Subdistrict.

 

Getting There is most convenient by private car, rental car, or local hired transport. From Chiang Mai city, travel toward Phrao District along Highway 1001, then continue into Ban Pong Subdistrict and Ban Pa Lan, Moo 5. Travelers can search for “Wat Pa Lan, Ban Pong, Phrao, Chiang Mai” or use the address 3 Moo 5, Ban Pong Subdistrict, Phrao District, Chiang Mai 50190 in a map application before departure.

 

From Phrao town, Wat Pa Lan can be included in a Ban Pong temple route. A half-day route can include Wat Pa Lan, Wat Ban Pong, Wat Thung Noi, Wat Ban Dong, and Wat Pa Wai. With more time, visitors can continue to Wat Ku Bia, Wat Pa Hin, Mae Saluam Reservoir, Wat Phra Chao Lan Thong, or Wat Nam Phrae. This route combines old village temples, sacred memory, agricultural landscapes, and natural sites in Phrao District.

 

Visitors should dress modestly, speak quietly, respect monks and worshippers, avoid entering private monastic areas, and refrain from touching Buddha images or sacred objects without permission. Photography should be respectful, especially inside the viharn and during ceremonies. Wat Pa Lan is an active community temple, so it should be treated as a living sacred space rather than only a sightseeing stop.

 

In summary, Wat Pa Lan is a Mahanikaya private-sector temple in Ban Pa Lan, Moo 5, Ban Pong Subdistrict, Phrao District, Chiang Mai Province. Established in 1877 and granted Wisungkham Sima in 1997, the temple is led by Phra Khru Wisut Panyakun Chittapanyo. Its main value lies in its history connected with settlers from Lampang, the former Ban Lo Pa Lan, Wat Ban Lo, Buak Phra Chao, and the continuing religious life of Ban Pa Lan. Important structures include the sermon hall, monks’ residences, viharn, alms pavilion, and kitchen, while important sacred objects include bronze Buddha images, Phra Saen Chae, Phra Singh Song, and Phra Singh Sam. The temple is suitable for worship, merit-making, learning local history, and joining a cultural temple route through Ban Pong and Phrao District.

 

 

A: Wat Pa Lan is located at 3 Moo 5, Ban Pa Lan, Ban Pong Subdistrict, Phrao District, Chiang Mai Province 50190, Thailand.

 

A: Wat Pa Lan was officially established in 1877 and granted Wisungkham Sima in 1997. Its history developed from the earlier Wat Ban Lo before the temple moved closer to the growing Ban Pa Lan community.

 

A: Ban Pa Lan began with settlers from Lampang and Phra Peng, who found a fertile pa lan forest and established the early Ban Lo Pa Lan community before the village name became Ban Pa Lan.

 

A: The abbot of Wat Pa Lan is Phra Khru Wisut Panyakun Chittapanyo.

 

A: Important structures include the sermon hall, monks’ residences, viharn, alms pavilion, kitchen, temple courtyard, and community ceremony spaces.

 

A: Important sacred objects include bronze Buddha images, Phra Saen Chae, Phra Singh Song, and Phra Singh Sam.

 

A: It is suitable for worship, merit-making, learning about Ban Pa Lan history, visiting old community temples, and joining a temple route through Ban Pong Subdistrict.

 

A: Nearby places include Wat Ban Pong, Wat Thung Noi, Wat Ban Dong, Wat Pa Wai, Wat Pa Hin, Wat Ku Bia, and Mae Saluam Reservoir.