Wat Bo Tao

Open Days: Daily

Opening Hours: 08.00 – 17.00

 

Wat Bo Tao is a local non-royal Buddhist temple under the Mahanikaya order, located in Moo 3, Ban Bo Tao, San Sai Subdistrict, Phrao District, Chiang Mai Province 50190. The temple was officially permitted to be established in 1864 and received its Wisungkhamsima on January 15, 2014. Wat Bo Tao is an old community temple of San Sai Subdistrict, closely connected with Ban Bo Tao, Ban San Phak Hi, Tai Lue community memory, old abandoned temple sites, and the story of a water well where turtles were found, giving rise to the name “Wat Bo Tao”.

 

Ban Bo Tao is Moo 3 of San Sai Subdistrict, Phrao District, Chiang Mai Province. The village is part of a rural Lanna landscape shaped by houses, temples, village roads, farmland, irrigation channels, water sources, and neighboring communities. Wat Bo Tao stands within this living landscape as a Buddhist center that connects local people with religious practice, community identity, and the memory of older settlements in the area.

 

Wat Bo Tao is also known as Wat San Phak Hi, a name connected with the older community history of the area. Local accounts describe Ban San Phak Hi as a Tai Lue community formerly known as Ban San Kaeo Wong. A large tree once stood in the center of the village. As the settlement became more stable, villagers built a temple as a shared spiritual center. The temple therefore reflects not only Buddhist devotion, but also the process of settlement, community building, and collective identity in San Sai Subdistrict.

 

The name Wat Bo Tao is connected with a water well dug within the temple grounds. When villagers dug down about 3 meters, they found a spring and turtles living in the well. The temple was therefore called Wat Bo Tao, meaning the temple of the turtle well. In an agricultural society, water is deeply meaningful because it supports household life, farming, and community stability. The name of the temple preserves that relationship between faith, water, local ecology, and village memory.

 

The area around Ban San Phak Hi and Wat Bo Tao is also associated with several abandoned temple sites, including the present Wat Bo Tao site, Wat San Phak Hi or Ku Nan Kham, and two unnamed abandoned temple sites. These traces suggest that the area has a longer history of settlement, religious use, and community movement. Wat Bo Tao is therefore part of a wider sacred landscape in San Sai Subdistrict rather than an isolated temple.

 

The establishment year of 1864 gives Wat Bo Tao more than 160 years of history. A village temple of this age reflects the long-term stability of the community, the faith of local residents, the presence of monks, and the cooperation of villagers who maintained a Buddhist center close to their homes. Wat Bo Tao is therefore important as both a religious site and a historical landmark of Ban Bo Tao.

 

The temple received its Wisungkhamsima on January 15, 2014. Wisungkhamsima is the consecrated boundary used for important monastic acts under Buddhist discipline. This status confirms the temple’s religious completeness and its ability to serve the Sangha and the local community. When considered together with the establishment year of 1864, Wat Bo Tao shows both historical depth and continued religious development.

 

Wat Bo Tao is also remembered through the name of Phra Khru Siriwat Wimon, better known as Khruba Sri Man Yasotharo, an important monk associated with the temple and respected by devotees in Phrao. His memory adds another layer of significance to Wat Bo Tao as a temple connected with local Buddhist teachers and community devotion. Visitors who come to Wat Bo Tao can therefore appreciate not only the temple’s age, but also the living faith associated with respected monks in the area.

 

In a community temple, monks play an important role in caring for the temple grounds, guiding Buddhist activities, maintaining religious order, and sustaining the relationship between monks and villagers. A temple such as Wat Bo Tao depends on cooperation among monks, temple committee members, village leaders, elders, and local devotees. Its survival across generations reflects the shared responsibility of the local community.

 

The atmosphere of Wat Bo Tao is quiet, modest, and closely connected with village life. The main experience for visitors is merit-making, worship, Dhamma listening, and learning the story behind the temple name. The temple is most meaningful when seen together with Ban Bo Tao, local roads, farmland, nearby communities, and the wider sacred landscape of San Sai Subdistrict.

 

In Lanna village life, a temple is more than a place for worship. It is a moral center, a gathering space, a ceremonial site, and a place where community memory is preserved. Wat Bo Tao has supported merit-making, Dhamma listening, Buddhist holy days, ordination-related activities, funeral rites, ancestor-related merit-making, Kathin, Pha Pa, Buddhist Lent, and end-of-Lent ceremonies. These activities make the temple part of the annual rhythm of Ban Bo Tao.

 

Kathin, Pha Pa, Buddhist holy days, Buddhist Lent, end-of-Lent activities, ancestor-related merit-making, and local Lanna merit activities keep Wat Bo Tao active within the annual rhythm of the village. These activities allow residents to support monks, maintain the temple, prepare offerings, gather as families, and strengthen community relationships. The temple therefore functions as a meeting point of religion, tradition, kinship, and local unity.

 

Wat Bo Tao plays several roles in the community. Spiritually, it is a place for worship, offerings, Dhamma listening, Buddhist holy days, and ceremonies. Socially, it is a shared space for Ban Bo Tao residents. Culturally, it preserves Lanna Buddhist traditions and the memory of Tai Lue settlement in the area. Emotionally, it gives villagers a place to turn to during important moments of family and community life.

 

The distinctive value of Wat Bo Tao lies in its old establishment year, its association with Wat San Phak Hi, the story of the turtle well, its connection with Tai Lue community memory, the presence of old abandoned temple sites nearby, and the memory of Khruba Sri Man Yasotharo. It is suitable for travelers who want to understand Phrao through community temples and local stories rather than only through major attractions.

 

Important points to appreciate at Wat Bo Tao include the worship area, temple courtyard, merit-making area, ceremonial spaces, and the local story behind the name Bo Tao. Visitors should move respectfully, dress modestly, and give priority to local worshippers if a ceremony is taking place. The temple is best appreciated as part of Ban Bo Tao rather than as a quick standalone sightseeing stop.

 

Wat Bo Tao is suitable for travelers interested in local Lanna temples, old temples in Phrao, Tai Lue community history, abandoned temple sites in San Sai Subdistrict, and quiet Buddhist cultural travel. Visitors who want to understand Phrao through local villages rather than only through major attractions will find this temple especially meaningful.

 

A meaningful route from Wat Bo Tao can begin with worship and merit-making at the temple, then continue to nearby temples in San Sai Subdistrict such as Wat San Sai, Wat San Pong, Wat Nong Pit, and Wat Tha Ma Kiang. Travelers can then continue into Phrao town to visit Wat Klang Wiang, Wat Kham Sum, Wat Pa Siao, Wat Mae Koi, and Wat Nong O. A longer route can extend toward Mae Pang Subdistrict, Wat Doi Mae Pang, Wat Phra That Doi Namo, and Mon Hin Lai Waterfall.

 

For travelers interested in both nature and Buddhist culture, Wat Bo Tao can be combined with Mae Saluam Reservoir, Mon Hin Lai Waterfall, Wat Doi Mae Pang, or Wat Phra That Doi Namo in a full-day itinerary. Such a route shows Phrao through community temples, hill temples, relic sites, natural scenery, waterways, and agricultural landscapes.

 

Getting There is easiest by private car, rental car, or local hired transport. From Chiang Mai city, travel along the Chiang Mai–Mae Jo–Phrao route toward Phrao District, then continue into San Sai Subdistrict and Ban Bo Tao, Moo 3. In a map application, search for “Wat Bo Tao, San Sai, Phrao” or “Wat Bo Tao Khruba Sri Man” to avoid confusion with similarly named places elsewhere. A private vehicle is the most practical way to connect the temple with nearby temples, restaurants, accommodations, and natural sites.

 

The best time to visit is in the morning or late afternoon, when the weather is more comfortable and the temple atmosphere is calm. Travelers interested in local merit-making can follow major Buddhist periods such as Kathin, Pha Pa, Buddhist Lent, the end of Lent, or Buddhist holy days. For general travel, Wat Bo Tao can be included in a half-day San Sai temple route, or in a full-day route that continues toward Phrao town, Mae Pang Subdistrict, and natural attractions.

 

Visitors should dress modestly, speak quietly, respect monks and local worshippers, and avoid entering private monastic areas without permission. If a ceremony, merit-making activity, or community event is taking place, local participants should be given priority. Around worship and ceremonial areas, photography should be done respectfully because Wat Bo Tao remains an active religious place used by the local community.

 

Overall, Wat Bo Tao is an old community temple of San Sai Subdistrict, Phrao District, Chiang Mai Province. It preserves an establishment year of 1864, a Wisungkhamsima granted on January 15, 2014, and a local identity shaped by a turtle well, Tai Lue community memory, Wat San Phak Hi, abandoned temple sites, and the memory of Khruba Sri Man Yasotharo. Its value lies in the way it brings together local faith, water, settlement history, village identity, and the living Buddhist culture of northern Thailand.

 

 

A: Wat Bo Tao is located in Moo 3, Ban Bo Tao, San Sai Subdistrict, Phrao District, Chiang Mai 50190, Thailand.

 

A: Wat Bo Tao is a local non-royal Buddhist temple under the Mahanikaya order. It was officially established as a temple in 1864 and received Wisungkhamsima on January 15, 2014.

 

A: The name is connected with a water well in the temple area. When villagers dug about 3 meters deep, they found a spring and turtles living inside, leading to the name Wat Bo Tao.

 

A: Wat Bo Tao is also known as Wat San Phak Hi and is widely associated with the name Wat Bo Tao (Khruba Sri Man).

 

A: Wat Bo Tao is open daily from 08.00 to 17.00.

 

A: It is suitable for travelers interested in local Lanna temples, old temples in Phrao, Tai Lue community history, abandoned temple sites in San Sai Subdistrict, and quiet Buddhist cultural travel.

 

A: The temple is best reached by private car, rental car, or local hired transport from Chiang Mai toward Phrao District, then into San Sai Subdistrict and Ban Bo Tao, Moo 3.

 

A: Nearby places include Wat San Sai, Wat San Pong, Wat Nong Pit, Wat Tha Ma Kiang, Wat Klang Wiang, Wat Kham Sum, Wat Doi Mae Pang, and Mon Hin Lai Waterfall.