Wat Pa Hin

Operating day: Daily

Operating time: 08.00 - 17.00

 

Wat Pa Hin is a private-sector Buddhist temple under the Mahanikaya order located in Moo 4, Ban Pa Hin, Ban Pong Subdistrict, Phrao District, Chiang Mai Province 50190. The temple was officially established in 1852 and received its Wisungkham Sima on 19 June 1929. The current abbot is Phra Khru Wirun Siriwat Siriwatthano. Wat Pa Hin is one of the old community temples of Ban Pong Subdistrict. It has long served as a place for worship, merit-making, Dhamma listening, Buddhist ceremonies, and community gathering for Ban Pa Hin.

 

Ban Pa Hin is Moo 4 of Ban Pong Subdistrict. Ban Pong is a historically layered area of Phrao District. The name Ban Pong comes from natural surface hot springs locally called “pong.” Early communities included people of Lue, Khoen, Shan, and Yong backgrounds, with later settlers from Doi Saket and Lampang. The areas around Ban Pong, Ban Thung Noi, and Nong Hai are also associated with the old settlement landscape known as Wiang Wai. Wat Pa Hin therefore stands within a wider landscape of old villages, community forests, waterways, temple routes, and local Buddhist memory.

 

The context of Ban Pa Hin is important to understanding the temple. Ban Pong Subdistrict lies near the Si Lanna National Park area and includes community forest areas in Moo 4 Ban Pa Hin and Moo 8 Ban Dong Pa Daeng. This setting gives Wat Pa Hin a close relationship with village life, forest areas, farming land, and natural routes. The temple is therefore not only a religious site but also a community landmark within a rural and forest-linked landscape.

 

The official establishment of Wat Pa Hin in 1852 places it among the old temples of Phrao District. Temples founded in this period were created through the faith of villagers who needed a place for worship, merit-making, Dhamma listening, and village ceremonies. In rural Lanna society, a temple was also a moral center, a gathering place, and a social space for important life events. Wat Pa Hin therefore records the formation of Ban Pa Hin community life and the continuity of Buddhism in Ban Pong.

 

The temple received its Wisungkham Sima on 19 June 1929. The sacred boundary measures 1 sen and 9 wa in width and 1 sen and 9 wa in length. In Thai Buddhist tradition, Wisungkham Sima is the boundary used for important monastic acts, including ordination and formal Sangha ceremonies. This status confirms Wat Pa Hin as a temple capable of supporting important Buddhist functions for the local community.

 

The temple land covers about 1 rai and 60 square wah under Nor Sor 3 Kor land document number 1165. Its boundaries are connected with public roads and nearby residences: public roads to the north and south, local residences to the east, and a public road to the west. This reflects the character of a village temple embedded in daily community life, easily accessible to local residents and closely connected with village movement.

 

The important structures of Wat Pa Hin include the ubosot, sermon hall, viharn, monks’ residences, multipurpose pavilion, temple courtyard, merit-making area, Dhamma listening area, and community ceremony spaces. The ubosot supports monastic acts, the viharn serves as the main worship space, the sermon hall supports Dhamma listening and community gatherings, the monks’ residences support monastic life, and the multipurpose pavilion supports religious and community activities.

 

The important sacred object of the temple is its Buddha image, which serves as the spiritual focus of the community. Visitors should begin by paying respect at the main worship area, then observe the temple grounds respectfully. In a village temple, a Buddha image is not only a religious art object but also a center of faith where villagers come to make merit, pray, receive blessings, and connect with Buddhism throughout the year.

 

Wat Pa Hin has a long line of abbots and temple caretakers. Earlier names recorded in temple history include Khruba Luang Panya, Khruba Ut Uttama, Phra Kaeo, Phra Chan, Phra Phrommin, Phra Athikan Pham, Phra Buntha, Phra Singkham, Phra Somboon, Phra Sa-at, Phra Buntan, Phra Athikan Bunchuai Chittapanyo, Phra Kamon Khonthasaro, and Phra Jetsada Sirimongkhon. In contemporary information, the temple is led by Phra Khru Wirun Siriwat Siriwatthano. This continuity shows that Wat Pa Hin has remained active across generations.

 

The role of Wat Pa Hin extends beyond religious buildings. It is a place where villagers gather for Buddhist holy days, merit-making, ordination ceremonies, funerals, Pha Pa, Kathin, Dhamma listening, Buddhist Lent, and end-of-Lent activities. These events keep the relationship between temple and village strong and make the temple an active center of community life.

 

Ban Pa Hin’s proximity to community forest areas gives the temple an additional rural character. Community forests are not only natural resources but also part of the way local people live with the landscape. Wat Pa Hin is therefore suitable for visitors who want to experience a quiet village temple connected with nature, farming areas, roads, and old community memory in Phrao District.

 

The main highlight of Wat Pa Hin is its identity as an old temple established in 1852, with Wisungkham Sima granted in 1929, and with complete village-temple structures including an ubosot, sermon hall, viharn, monks’ residences, and multipurpose pavilion. Its setting in Ban Pa Hin, near community forest areas and other old temples of Ban Pong Subdistrict, makes it a meaningful stop for those who want to understand local Buddhist life in rural Chiang Mai.

 

When viewed alongside nearby temples, Wat Pa Hin helps reveal the sacred network of Ban Pong Subdistrict. Nearby temples and sites include Wat Pa Wai, Wat Ku Bia, Wat Pa Lan, Wat Ban Pong, Wat Ban Dong, and Wat Thung Noi. Each temple serves its own village while also contributing to a wider religious landscape of Phrao District.

 

A visit to Wat Pa Hin should be slow and respectful. Visitors can pay respect to the Buddha image, make merit, walk quietly around the important structures, and observe the relationship between the temple and the surrounding village. The value of the temple lies not in monumental scale but in its long history, continuing religious role, and active place in the life of Ban Pa Hin.

 

Wat Pa Hin is suitable for travelers interested in old temples of Phrao, Ban Pong community history, rural temple routes, and local Buddhist life. A half-day route can include Wat Pa Hin, Wat Pa Wai, Wat Pa Lan, Wat Ban Pong, and Wat Ku Bia. With more time, travelers can continue to Mae Saluam Reservoir, Wat Thung Noi, Wat Ban Dong, or Wat Phra Chao Lan Thong in Nam Phrae.

 

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 Hin, Moo 4. Travelers can search for “Wat Pa Hin, Ban Pong, Phrao, Chiang Mai” or “Ban Pa Hin, Moo 4, Ban Pong” in a map application before departure.

 

From Phrao town, Wat Pa Hin can be included in a Ban Pong temple route. A half-day route can include Wat Pa Hin, Wat Pa Wai, Wat Pa Lan, Wat Ban Pong, and Wat Ku Bia. With more time, visitors can continue to Wat Thung Noi, Wat Ban Dong, Mae Saluam Reservoir, Wat Phra Chao Lan Thong, or Wat Nam Phrae. This route combines old village temples, revived sacred sites, reservoirs, forest-linked areas, and the local Buddhist culture of Phrao.

 

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, ubosot, and ceremony areas. Since Wat Pa Hin is an active community temple, visitors should behave as guests in a living sacred space.

 

In summary, Wat Pa Hin is a Mahanikaya private-sector temple in Ban Pa Hin, Moo 4, Ban Pong Subdistrict, Phrao District, Chiang Mai Province. Established in 1852 and granted Wisungkham Sima on 19 June 1929, the temple is led by Phra Khru Wirun Siriwat Siriwatthano. Its important structures include the ubosot, sermon hall, viharn, monks’ residences, and multipurpose pavilion, with a Buddha image serving as the central sacred object. Wat Pa Hin is valuable as an old community temple, a spiritual center for Ban Pa Hin, and an important stop on the temple route through Ban Pong and Phrao District.

 

 

A: Wat Pa Hin is located in Moo 4, Ban Pa Hin, Ban Pong Subdistrict, Phrao District, Chiang Mai Province 50190, Thailand.

 

A: Wat Pa Hin is a private-sector Mahanikaya temple officially established in 1852 and granted Wisungkham Sima on 19 June 1929.

 

A: The abbot of Wat Pa Hin is Phra Khru Wirun Siriwat Siriwatthano.

 

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

 

A: The important sacred object is the temple’s Buddha image, which serves as the spiritual focus of the Ban Pa Hin community.

 

A: Its main highlight is its identity as an old community temple established in 1852, with Wisungkham Sima granted in 1929 and a setting connected with Ban Pa Hin’s community forest landscape.

 

A: It is suitable for worship, merit-making, learning about old community temples, exploring Ban Pong Subdistrict, and joining a rural temple route through Phrao District.

 

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