Wat Pa Khae Yong

Open Days: Daily

Opening Hours: 08.00 – 17.00

 

Wat Pa Khae Yong is a local Buddhist temple under the Mahanikaya monastic order, located at No. 159, Moo 5, Nong Phueng Subdistrict, Saraphi District, Chiang Mai Province. It is an old community temple of Ban Pa Khae Yong with a history dating back to 1876. The temple received its Wisungkhamsima on 24 February 1953, with the boundary measuring 10 meters wide and 15 meters long. The temple stands within a living village landscape connected with a public irrigation channel, public road, and nearby residential communities. Important structures include the viharn, scripture hall, multipurpose hall, ordination hall, Buddhist scripture school building, kitchen building, and pagoda. The current abbot is Phra Athikan Nares Thanapanya.

 

Wat Pa Khae Yong should be understood as an old community temple of Nong Phueng, not merely as a local roadside temple in Saraphi. The temple name, village name, and settlement history are closely connected. Ban Pa Khae Yong was formerly known as Ban Rai and is remembered as a long-established community whose residents migrated from several places, including Chiang Saen, Chiang Rai, Chiang Tung, and Yunnan Chinese communities. As people from different backgrounds settled together, the temple became a shared spiritual center for merit-making, ceremonies, and community identity.

 

The origin of the name Pa Khae Yong is one of the most distinctive cultural features of the temple. The village once had many khae trees. Their flowers appeared in clusters, with branches bending low and linking together. Local people called this floral character dok khae yong, and because the area had many such trees and flowers, the village came to be known as Ban Pa Khae Yong. The temple name therefore preserves the memory of local plants, the natural environment, and early settlement in the area.

 

The word pa suggests a wooded area, while khae yong records the specific tree and flower that local people remembered. The name is not only a place name; it is a linguistic and cultural record of the village landscape before later development. Visitors who understand this name can appreciate the temple more deeply as a place where Buddhism, nature, and community memory meet.

 

The temple was built in 1876, making it one of the older temples of Nong Phueng Subdistrict. Its age reflects the continuity of Ban Pa Khae Yong during a period when Saraphi still had a strong agricultural character, with irrigation channels, village roads, and temple grounds forming the main structure of community life. The temple served as a place for merit-making, Dhamma listening, village meetings, and the preservation of Lanna Buddhist traditions.

 

The granting of Wisungkhamsima on 24 February 1953 was an important milestone in the temple’s religious history. A Wisungkhamsima is the formal monastic boundary used for important Sangha rites, especially ordination and ecclesiastical ceremonies. Wat Pa Khae Yong’s boundary measures 10 meters wide and 15 meters long. Though compact, it confirms the temple’s formal religious status and ability to support important monastic ceremonies.

 

The temple boundaries show its close relationship with the surrounding community. To the north is a public irrigation channel, to the south and east are the Chinda Villa residential area, and to the west is a public road. This setting reflects the character of a Lanna community temple embedded in water systems, village roads, and residential life. The temple is not separate from daily life; it is part of the village landscape.

 

The irrigation channel north of the temple reflects the agricultural life of Lanna communities. Such channels are not merely waterways; they connect fields, gardens, houses, and everyday livelihood. Wat Pa Khae Yong’s position beside a channel shows how Buddhism, agriculture, and village infrastructure have long been connected in Nong Phueng.

 

The viharn is an important devotional space for worship, Dhamma listening, and village religious activities. Cultural heritage research along the old Chiang Mai–Lamphun road refers to the viharn of Wat Pa Khae Yong, making it one of the features worth observing. Visitors should remove shoes where required, speak softly, and pay respect calmly, because the viharn is a living sacred space used by the community across generations.

 

The ordination hall is connected with the temple’s Wisungkhamsima and formal Sangha activities. Visitors should approach it respectfully, avoid disturbing monks, and understand that it is a sacred space governed by Buddhist monastic discipline. The ordination hall is one of the clearest signs of the temple’s full religious status.

 

The scripture hall adds an educational and religious dimension to the temple. In a Lanna temple context, a scripture hall is connected with the preservation of Buddhist teachings, manuscripts, and Dhamma knowledge. Its presence shows that Wat Pa Khae Yong is not only a place for ceremonies, but also part of the wider tradition of preserving Buddhist learning.

 

The multipurpose hall supports religious and community activities such as Dhamma listening, village meetings, Kathin, robe-offering ceremonies, and festival preparations. In a community temple, such a hall is a shared space where villagers gather, cooperate, and pass down the habit of temple-based community life.

 

The Buddhist scripture school building gives Wat Pa Khae Yong an important educational dimension. A temple with such a space can support the study of Buddhist teachings, discipline, and local religious knowledge. It connects the temple with learning, not only worship.

 

The kitchen building reflects the communal nature of temple merit-making. Buddhist ceremonies in a Lanna village temple often depend on local residents preparing food, offerings, and reception for participants. The kitchen therefore shows the practical relationship between the temple and the community that sustains it.

 

The pagoda is the key sacred feature within the temple compound. In Lanna Buddhism, a pagoda represents the stability of the religion and serves as a focus of reverence for local devotees. The temple’s pagoda is also central to the community’s water-pouring ceremony, showing that it is not merely an architectural feature but a living focus of devotion.

 

The pagoda water-pouring tradition at Wat Pa Khae Yong is an important community activity. Pouring water over the sacred pagoda is an act of respect and merit-making. It brings villagers together to clean the temple, prepare offerings, and participate in a shared ceremony. This tradition keeps the relationship between temple and village active in the present.

 

Wat Pa Khae Yong also plays a role in moral and community development. Nong Phueng Municipality has included Wat Pa Khae Yong in local projects related to moral promotion, ethics, Dhamma listening, and quality of life. This shows that the temple remains an active space for religious learning and community development, not only a place of worship.

 

The succession of abbots reflects the continuity of temple care across generations. Temple records list Phra Khru Phuttha Athitthayawong, Phra Khru Duangchan Thanawaro, Phra Maha Amnuai Chanthasophano, Phra Athikan Phonchai Panyasiri, Phra Athikan Nalochai Kittiyano, and Phra Athikan Nares Thanapanya. This succession shows that the temple has been sustained through long-term monastic leadership and community support.

 

Phra Athikan Nares Thanapanya is the current abbot according to local temple-history records. In a community temple, the abbot plays a role beyond ceremonies. He helps maintain the temple compound, guide religious life, organize merit-making activities, and preserve the relationship between monks and villagers.

 

Religious activities associated with Wat Pa Khae Yong include Buddhist holy days, Buddhist Lent, the end of Buddhist Lent, Kathin, robe-offering ceremonies, Songkran, elder-respect customs, Yi Peng, the pagoda water-pouring ceremony, and village merit-making. These events bring villagers together to make merit, listen to Dhamma, offer food, and preserve Lanna Buddhist traditions.

 

During the Lanna New Year, Wat Pa Khae Yong is suitable for merit-making, Buddha-image bathing, pagoda water-pouring, and community ceremonies. These traditions connect younger generations with elders, families with the temple, and community memory with Buddhism. A visit during the festival season reveals the temple as a living social and religious space.

 

The main appeal of Wat Pa Khae Yong for visitors is the story of its name from the khae yong flowers, the settlement history of Ban Rai, the founding of the temple in 1876, and the temple’s complete community elements: viharn, scripture hall, ordination hall, multipurpose hall, Buddhist scripture school building, kitchen building, and pagoda. It is suitable for visitors interested in old temples of Saraphi, Lanna community temples, and cultural routes connected with Nong Phueng and Wiang Kum Kam.

 

The temple atmosphere is calm and local. Visitors should allow around 30 to 60 minutes to observe the viharn, scripture hall, ordination hall, multipurpose hall, Buddhist scripture school building, kitchen, pagoda, and surrounding temple grounds. Morning or late afternoon is generally the most comfortable time to visit.

 

Visitors should dress modestly, speak softly, remove shoes before entering sacred buildings, avoid touching Buddha images, pagodas, or sacred objects unnecessarily, and avoid disturbing monks or villagers during ceremonies. If a pagoda water-pouring event, Kathin, robe-offering ceremony, or community activity is taking place, visitors should allow space for local participants and behave respectfully within the temple grounds.

 

Getting There is possible by taking the Chiang Mai–Lamphun Road from Chiang Mai city toward Saraphi District, then continuing into Nong Phueng Subdistrict and Ban Pa Khae Yong, Moo 5. Private car, rental car, or local hired transport is the most convenient option. Wat Pa Khae Yong can be combined easily with other temples and archaeological sites in Nong Phueng and the wider Wiang Kum Kam cultural route.

 

A practical cultural route can begin at Wat Pa Khae Yong and continue to Wat Phra Non Nong Phueng, Wat Ubosot, Wat Kong Sai, Wat Chiang Saen, Wat Don Chuen, Wat San Khue, Wat Ku Jok Pok archaeological site, and Wat Kum Kam Teepram archaeological site. Travelers who want to extend the route can continue to Wat Saraphi, Wat Chang Khoeng, Wat Pak Kong, and Wat Mongkhon Wanaram in Saraphi Subdistrict.

 

Overall, Wat Pa Khae Yong is valuable for its community history, Buddhist identity, cultural landscape, and continuing social role. Built in 1876, granted Wisungkhamsima in 1953, and named after the khae yong flowers remembered by the community, the temple remains a meaningful destination for travelers interested in Saraphi’s living Lanna temple heritage.

 

 

A: Wat Pa Khae Yong is located at No. 159, Moo 5, Nong Phueng Subdistrict, Saraphi District, Chiang Mai Province 50140. It is a local Buddhist temple under the Mahanikaya monastic order.

 

A: Wat Pa Khae Yong was built in 1876 and received its Wisungkhamsima on 24 February 1953.

 

A: The name comes from many khae trees in the village. Their flowers grew in clusters and their branches bent and linked together, leading local people to call them khae yong flowers and the area Ban Pa Khae Yong.

 

A: Visitors can see the viharn, scripture hall, multipurpose hall, ordination hall, Buddhist scripture school building, kitchen building, pagoda, and the calm atmosphere of an old community temple in Nong Phueng.

 

A: The abbot of Wat Pa Khae Yong is Phra Athikan Nares Thanapanya.

 

A: Wat Pa Khae Yong is open daily from 08.00 to 17.00.

 

A: The temple is associated with a pagoda water-pouring ceremony, Songkran, elder-respect customs, Kathin, robe-offering ceremonies, Yi Peng, and moral-development activities for the local community.

 

A: Nearby places include Wat Phra Non Nong Phueng, Wat Ubosot, Wat Kong Sai, Wat Chiang Saen, Wat Ku Jok Pok Archaeological Site, Wat Kum Kam Teepram Archaeological Site, and the wider Wiang Kum Kam cultural route.