Wat Mae Taeng

Open Days: Daily

Opening Hours: 08.00 – 17.00

 

Wat Mae Taeng is an old community temple in Ban Pa Sao, Moo 2, San Mahaphon Subdistrict, Mae Taeng District, Chiang Mai Province. The temple is located at 7 Moo 2, Ban Pa Sao, San Mahaphon, Mae Taeng, Chiang Mai 50150. It is a Mahanikaya Buddhist temple and a long-standing religious center of Ban Pa Sao. Wat Mae Taeng was officially established as a temple in 1909 and received its royal monastic boundary in 1918. Its history is closely connected with local devotion, early community settlement, and the Buddhist life of Mae Taeng District.

 

The temple’s origin is linked with the faith of travelers and villagers. Around 1897, Pho Thao Kana, a man from Mueang Haeng, traveled through this area while conducting trade. He saw the beauty and suitability of the landscape and discussed the idea of building a temple with Pho Kham Yong. This local story reflects an important feature of northern Thai Buddhist temples: a temple begins not only with buildings but with people who recognize the spiritual value of a place and want their community to have a center of worship.

 

Pho Thao Kana and Pho Kham Yong began by building a viharn and a Phra That, establishing the main sacred spaces of the temple. Later, they invited Khru Ba Jai, also known as Phra Khru Mongkhon Siwong, to become the first abbot in 1899. Khru Ba Jai played a foundational role in the early development of the temple, guiding its religious activities, strengthening community faith, and helping the temple grow from a small local place of devotion into an organized Buddhist institution.

 

The temple’s name changed several times over its history. It was first known as Wat San Pa Sao, a name connected with Ban Pa Sao. During the time of Khru Ba Jai, the name was changed to Wat Sin San Mahaphon, linking the temple with the wider subdistrict and with Buddhist moral meaning. After Khru Ba Jai passed away, Phra Khru Maha Sinwong became the next abbot and changed the name back to Wat Pa Sao. Later, when Phra Athikan Sri Man served as abbot and acting ecclesiastical district chief of Mae Taeng, the temple was renamed Wat Mae Taeng, the name used today.

 

These name changes are more than administrative details. They show how the temple’s identity developed with the community. Wat San Pa Sao emphasized the village. Wat Sin San Mahaphon emphasized religious discipline and the subdistrict. Wat Mae Taeng connects the temple with the district as a whole. The current name therefore gives the temple a wider identity as one of the important Buddhist sites in Mae Taeng.

 

Wat Mae Taeng stands in Ban Pa Sao, Moo 2, San Mahaphon Subdistrict. Its northern boundary meets local residences. Its southern boundary meets a public pathway or public area. Its eastern boundary meets monastic land, and its western boundary meets a public road. This location shows the temple’s close relationship with the village. Wat Mae Taeng is not separated from local life; it stands within the everyday social and religious landscape of Ban Pa Sao.

 

The temple land covers 2 rai, 3 ngan, and 28 square wah. It also has three plots of monastic land totaling 3 rai, 1 ngan, and 29 square wah. This gives Wat Mae Taeng enough space for Buddhist practice, monastic residence, community ceremonies, merit-making, and annual traditions. It is not a large tourist temple, but it is a functional community temple with religious, social, and cultural significance.

 

Ban Pa Sao is one of the villages in San Mahaphon Municipality, which includes several communities such as Ban Pa Bong, Ban Pa Sao, Ban San Mahaphon, Ban Pa Chi, Ban Nong Lom, Ban Nong Kok, Ban Pak Thang, Ban Phatthana, Ban Sahakon, and Ban Huai Hang. Wat Mae Taeng belongs to this wider network of villages and temples that shape religious life in the area.

 

San Mahaphon Municipality lists Wat Mae Taeng as one of the Buddhist temples in the municipality, located in Moo 2, Ban Pa Sao. Wat Tiyasathan is also located in the same village area, making Ban Pa Sao an important religious and cultural community within the subdistrict. Wat Mae Taeng should therefore be understood as part of the local Buddhist landscape rather than as a stand-alone attraction.

 

Wat Mae Taeng is a private community temple under the Mahanikaya order. It was officially established in 1909 and received its royal monastic boundary in 1918. The granting of a royal boundary is important because it allows the temple to perform formal monastic acts within a proper sacred boundary. This marks the temple’s development from a locally initiated place of faith into a complete Buddhist institution recognized within the Thai Sangha system.

 

Confirmed structures inside Wat Mae Taeng include a two-storey monks’ residence, two halls, one bell tower, one kitchen, and one birthday Buddha hall. Important sacred structures include the viharn, ubosot, Phra That, and Ho Trai. These components show that the temple has the main spaces needed for worship, monastic life, sermons, community merit-making, food preparation during temple events, and the preservation of Buddhist knowledge.

 

The viharn is one of the most important spaces at Wat Mae Taeng. It is used for worship, sermons, chanting, merit-making, and community ceremonies. In northern Thai Buddhist culture, the viharn often functions as the spiritual heart of a temple because laypeople can enter it to pay respect and participate in religious activities. At Wat Mae Taeng, the viharn is also directly connected with the temple’s founding story, since it was one of the first major structures built by the early founders.

 

The ubosot is important as the formal monastic space for Sangha acts. After Wat Mae Taeng received its royal monastic boundary in 1918, the ubosot became the symbolic and practical center for monastic discipline. It gives the temple the ability to support formal Buddhist rituals and marks the temple’s institutional maturity.

 

The Phra That at Wat Mae Taeng is a key sacred structure. Its importance reaches back to the temple’s beginning, when the founders built the Phra That along with the viharn. In Lanna Buddhist culture, a Phra That is a focal point of faith, worship, and communal identity. It represents the sacred presence of Buddhism within the village and remains one of the most meaningful elements of the temple.

 

The Ho Trai is also significant. In northern Thai temples, a Ho Trai is traditionally associated with the preservation of Buddhist scriptures or religious texts. Although detailed architectural information about the Ho Trai at Wat Mae Taeng is not available, its presence among the temple’s sacred structures indicates the temple’s role in preserving Buddhist learning as well as supporting ritual practice.

 

The bell tower, halls, kitchen, monks’ residence, and birthday Buddha hall complete the temple’s functional landscape. The bell tower marks time and religious activities. The halls support sermons, meetings, and community merit-making. The kitchen supports temple events and offerings. The monks’ residence supports monastic life. The birthday Buddha hall gives visitors a place for personal devotional practice.

 

Wat Mae Taeng has a documented line of abbots. The first was Phra Khru Mongkhon Sinwong, or Khru Ba Jai, who served from 1899 to 1929. He was followed by Phra Khru Maha Sinwong, or Khru Ba Moo, from 1929 to 1952; Phra Athikan Sri Muen Tiranuapanno from 1952 to 1957; Phra Khru Sri Nirakon, or Khru Ba Nuan, from 1964 to 1982; Phra Samu Singkham Sirimangkhalo from 1988 to 1994; Phra Athikan Phairoj Pantisaro from 1995 to 2000; and Phra Khru Chirathammapraphat from 2002 onward.

 

Phra Khru Chirathammapraphat Nirasayo is identified as the abbot of Wat Mae Taeng. He is described as a ranked Phra Khru and an abbot of a community temple, and he also holds a subdistrict ecclesiastical role. This shows that Wat Mae Taeng has importance beyond the village level. Its abbot is connected with the administration and support of Buddhist affairs in the wider San Mahaphon area.

 

Confirmed annual activities at Wat Mae Taeng include Salak Phat, the bathing of the Phra That, and Pi Mai Mueang. Salak Phat is held around September and includes morning merit-making, almsgiving, offerings dedicated to deceased relatives, and the preparation of offering trees for monks. This tradition is important in Lanna culture because it combines merit-making, remembrance, communal participation, and Buddhist generosity.

 

The bathing of the Phra That is held on 18 May. In the morning, devotees make merit and participate in religious activities. In the afternoon, monks chant, and the community joins in bathing the Phra That. Because the Phra That is one of the temple’s founding sacred structures, this activity renews the relationship between the community and the temple’s central object of devotion.

 

Pi Mai Mueang, the northern Thai New Year, is held from 13 to 15 April. At Wat Mae Taeng, the event includes almsgiving, bathing Buddha images, paying respect to elders, water-related Songkran activities, and paying respect to senior monks. This tradition brings together religion, family, gratitude, and Lanna cultural identity. It is one of the clearest examples of the temple’s living role in the community.

 

The role of Wat Mae Taeng can be understood on several levels. Religiously, it is a place for worship, sermons, merit-making, and Sangha activities. Socially, it is a gathering place for Ban Pa Sao residents. Culturally, it preserves Lanna traditions such as Salak Phat, Phra That bathing, and Pi Mai Mueang. Historically, it records the story of local settlement, early temple-building faith, and the development of Buddhist life in Mae Taeng.

 

For visitors, the main highlight of Wat Mae Taeng is the chance to see a complete community temple with a viharn, ubosot, Phra That, Ho Trai, bell tower, halls, residence, kitchen, and devotional areas. Travelers can pay respect in the temple, observe the sacred structures, and learn how the temple’s name and leadership changed across generations. The value of the temple lies in its layered local history and its continuing use by the community.

 

The atmosphere of Wat Mae Taeng is suitable for travelers who prefer calm cultural sites over crowded tourist attractions. The temple is located in Ban Pa Sao, close to other temples in San Mahaphon. A visit can be combined with Wat Tiyasathan, Wat Nong Lom, Wat Pak Thang, Wat Chom Khiri, or Wat Pa Ajarn Tue. This kind of route reveals Mae Taeng not only as a district of nature and cafes but also as a district with strong community temple networks.

 

Wat Tiyasathan, located in the same Ban Pa Sao area, adds a Shan cultural dimension to the route. Wat Nong Lom and Wat Chom Khiri show the broader temple network of San Mahaphon. Wat Pak Thang is connected with old cart routes and Shan heritage. Wat Pa Ajarn Tue is another important religious stop in the area. Visiting these temples together helps travelers understand the religious and cultural depth of Mae Taeng.

 

Getting There from Chiang Mai city is straightforward by private car, rental car, or motorbike. Take the Chiang Mai–Fang road, Highway 107, north toward Mae Taeng District. Once in San Mahaphon, continue into Ban Pa Sao, Moo 2. The temple is located within the village. Public transportation requires local transfer planning because the temple is not directly on a main tourist route.

 

A half-day route can begin at Wat Mae Taeng in the morning. Visitors can pay respect in the viharn, visit the Phra That, and walk through the temple grounds. Then they can continue to Wat Tiyasathan in Ban Pa Sao and have lunch in Mae Taeng. In the afternoon, the route can continue to Wat Pak Thang, Wat Pa Ajarn Tue, or a local cafe near the main road.

 

A full-day route can connect Wat Mae Taeng with other Mae Taeng attractions, restaurants, cafes, accommodations, and nature routes. Travelers can combine temple visits with places around Mueang Kaen, the Mae Ngat Somboon Chon Reservoir route, or nearby farm stays and resorts. This creates a balanced itinerary of Buddhist culture, local history, food, and nature.

 

Visitors should dress respectfully, keep their voices low, and respect monks and local residents. Since Wat Mae Taeng remains a working community temple, visitors should ask permission before photographing people or ceremony areas. A visit here is best approached as a cultural and religious experience rather than only a sightseeing stop.

 

From a preservation perspective, Wat Mae Taeng deserves careful documentation. Its history includes the founding faith of Pho Thao Kana and Pho Kham Yong, the invitation of Khru Ba Jai, official temple establishment in 1909, royal boundary recognition in 1918, multiple historical temple names, important sacred structures, and annual Lanna traditions. These elements make the temple a living record of Ban Pa Sao and Mae Taeng’s Buddhist heritage.

 

In summary, Wat Mae Taeng is an old Mahanikaya community temple in Ban Pa Sao, San Mahaphon Subdistrict, Mae Taeng District, Chiang Mai Province. Its history began around 1897 with the construction of a viharn and Phra That, followed by the appointment of Khru Ba Jai as the first abbot in 1899. The temple was officially established in 1909 and received its royal monastic boundary in 1918. Important features include the viharn, ubosot, Phra That, Ho Trai, bell tower, halls, monks’ residence, kitchen, and birthday Buddha hall. The temple is suitable for travelers who want to make merit, learn local history, and experience living Lanna Buddhist culture in Mae Taeng.

 

 

A: Wat Mae Taeng is located at 7 Moo 2, Ban Pa Sao, San Mahaphon Subdistrict, Mae Taeng District, Chiang Mai 50150, Thailand.

 

A: The temple’s history began around 1897 when Pho Thao Kana and Pho Kham Yong built a viharn and Phra That. Khru Ba Jai became the first abbot in 1899, and the temple was officially established in 1909.

 

A: Wat Mae Taeng received its royal monastic boundary in 1918.

 

A: Important structures include the viharn, ubosot, Phra That, Ho Trai, monks’ residence, halls, bell tower, kitchen, and birthday Buddha hall.

 

A: Temple history information identifies Phra Khru Chirathammapraphat Nirasayo as the abbot of Wat Mae Taeng.

 

A: Confirmed traditions include Salak Phat, Phra That bathing, and Pi Mai Mueang, with activities such as almsgiving, Buddha image bathing, and paying respect to elders.

 

A: From Chiang Mai city, take Highway 107 toward Mae Taeng District, then enter Ban Pa Sao, Moo 2, San Mahaphon Subdistrict.

 

A: Nearby temples include Wat Tiyasathan, Wat Nong Lom, Wat Pak Thang, Wat Chom Khiri, Wat Pa Ajarn Tue, and Wat Santi Phonaram.