Wat Rattanaworaram

Open Days: Daily

Opening Hours: Daytime Visit Recommended

 

Wat Rattanaworaram is located in Ban Huai Som Poi, Moo 9, Hang Dong Subdistrict, Hot District, Chiang Mai Province 50240. It is a local Buddhist temple under the Mahanikaya order. The temple was officially established in 1962 and received its Wisungkhamsima in 1991. Wat Rattanaworaram serves as an important community temple of Ban Huai Som Poi and remains a living religious and cultural center in Hang Dong Subdistrict.

 

Ban Huai Som Poi is Moo 9 of Hang Dong Subdistrict in Hot District, southern Chiang Mai. The village is connected with local roads, the Hot District travel corridor, and the wider community area administered around Tha Kham Municipality. The temple therefore stands within a rural Lanna landscape where village life, Buddhist practice, local ceremonies, and community identity remain closely connected.

 

The temple is important because it provides a Buddhist center for the Ban Huai Som Poi community. A village temple supports worship, merit-making, Dhamma listening, food offerings to monks, Buddhist ceremonies, and annual community events. Its official establishment in 1962 gave it formal status within the Thai Sangha system, while its Wisungkhamsima in 1991 gave it a consecrated boundary for important monastic acts.

 

Temple registration records identify Wat Rattanaworaram as a Mahanikaya temple with registration code 350160107, located in Hang Dong Subdistrict, Hot District, Chiang Mai Province, Moo 9. This confirms that Wat Rattanaworaram is a registered local Buddhist temple rather than an informal shrine or temporary monastic site.

 

The abbot known in earlier information is Phra Athikan Intha Aphinantho. He later received the ecclesiastical title Phra Khru Rattanaworaphirom. His title is closely connected with the temple name and reflects his role as a monastic leader serving the religious life of Ban Huai Som Poi. In a village temple, the abbot is central to ceremonies, moral guidance, temple maintenance, and the relationship between monks and lay supporters.

 

Hang Dong Subdistrict has many community temples, including Wat Khong Ngam, Wat Tha Kham, Wat Ban Pong, Wat Panyawuttharam, Wat Makkharam, Wat Mae Long, Wat Rattanaworaram, Wat Wang Lung, Wat Silanimit, Wat Hang Dong, and Wat Intharam. Together, these temples form a strong Buddhist landscape across the subdistrict. Each temple serves its own village while also contributing to the wider cultural life of Hot District.

 

Wat Rattanaworaram has a visible role in local tradition, especially the Mai Kham Pho procession in Ban Huai Som Poi. This Lanna tradition is associated with supporting Buddhism, honoring the Bodhi tree, and expressing community faith during the Lanna New Year season. When villagers bring decorated supports into the temple, the temple becomes the center of Buddhist devotion, folk art, and community unity.

 

Local activities held at Wat Rattanaworaram show that the temple remains active in contemporary community life. The Mai Kham Pho event at the temple brings together local authorities, community leaders, villagers, and participants from village groups under Tha Kham Municipality. This confirms the temple’s role not only as a religious site but also as a shared cultural space for the wider local community.

 

Wat Rattanaworaram also supports ordinary village Buddhist activities such as Buddhist holy days, Buddhist Lent, the end of Buddhist Lent, Kathin, Pha Pa, Songkran, and annual merit-making. These events maintain the relationship between monks and laypeople, support the temple, and help younger generations learn Buddhist etiquette and Lanna community customs.

 

Kathin is one of the important religious occasions for a local temple such as Wat Rattanaworaram. After the rains retreat, villagers and supporters gather to offer robes, requisites, and support for temple maintenance. The ceremony also strengthens community unity because people cooperate in preparing the event, welcoming participants, and supporting monks.

 

Songkran, or the Lanna New Year, is another important period for northern Thai village temples. People make merit, pay respect to Buddha images, pour water to ask blessings from elders, and join local processions. At Wat Rattanaworaram, these traditions connect Buddhism with gratitude, respect for elders, and the preservation of Lanna culture.

 

The atmosphere of Wat Rattanaworaram is calm and community-based. Visitors should expect a local village temple rather than a large commercial sightseeing complex. Its value lies in its role as the spiritual center of Ban Huai Som Poi, its connection with local traditions, and its place within the wider network of Hang Dong community temples.

 

Visitors should pay attention to the worship area, temple grounds, community activity space, and the overall village atmosphere. During local festivals such as the Mai Kham Pho procession, visitors can observe how temple space becomes part of a living cultural event involving monks, villagers, local leaders, and traditional processions.

 

Hang Dong Subdistrict is located in southern Chiang Mai, about 91 km from Chiang Mai city. It covers around 124.45 square kilometers and is connected by Highway 108 from Chiang Mai to Hot and Mae Sariang, as well as Provincial Highway 1103 from Hot to Li. This makes Wat Rattanaworaram accessible as part of a broader route through Hot District.

 

Local life in Hang Dong Subdistrict is connected with agriculture, trade, services, and village community activities. Temple life follows this rural rhythm. On Buddhist holy days, annual merit-making occasions, and festival periods, villagers gather at the temple to make offerings, listen to sermons, and maintain community bonds.

 

Wat Rattanaworaram is suitable for cultural travelers, visitors interested in Lanna village temples, travelers who want to understand local traditions in Hot District, and people who prefer quiet temples with real community life. It is especially meaningful for travelers interested in the Mai Kham Pho tradition and the role of temples in Lanna community identity.

 

Nearby places can be combined into several routes. Cultural travelers can connect Wat Rattanaworaram with Wat Wang Lung, Wat Silanimit, Wat Hang Dong, Wat Panyawuttharam, Wat Tha Kham (Chai Chana), and Wat Khong Ngam. Nature-focused travelers can continue to Ob Luang National Park and Mae Bua Kham Waterfall.

 

Getting There from Chiang Mai city, take Highway 108 toward Hot and Mae Sariang. Continue into Hot District, then enter Hang Dong Subdistrict and Ban Huai Som Poi, Moo 9. A private car is the most convenient option because it allows travelers to visit Wat Rattanaworaram and continue to nearby temples, central Hot, or Ob Luang National Park in the same trip.

 

From central Hot District, travelers can use the main road connected with Highway 108 and continue into the local road network toward Ban Huai Som Poi. Public transport users should first reach Hot District, then arrange local transport to the village. Road conditions should be checked during the rainy season, especially when continuing to natural attractions or mountain routes.

 

Visitors should dress modestly, speak quietly, avoid entering monks’ private areas without permission, and keep the temple grounds clean. During the Mai Kham Pho procession, Kathin, Pha Pa, or other community events, visitors should follow local etiquette and respect monks, elders, and participating villagers.

 

In summary, Wat Rattanaworaram is a local Mahanikaya temple in Ban Huai Som Poi, Moo 9, Hang Dong Subdistrict, Hot District, Chiang Mai Province. It was officially established in 1962 and received Wisungkhamsima in 1991. Its key identity lies in its role as the spiritual center of Ban Huai Som Poi, its connection with the Mai Kham Pho tradition, its active community religious life, and its location within a meaningful temple-and-nature route in Hot District.

 

 

A: Wat Rattanaworaram is located in Ban Huai Som Poi, Moo 9, Hang Dong Subdistrict, Hot District, Chiang Mai Province 50240.

 

A: Wat Rattanaworaram was officially established as a Buddhist temple in 1962.

 

A: Wat Rattanaworaram received Wisungkhamsima in 1991.

 

A: The abbot is Phra Khru Rattanaworaphirom (Intha Aphinantho).

 

A: Wat Rattanaworaram is associated with the Mai Kham Pho procession of Ban Huai Som Poi, along with ordinary village merit-making traditions such as Kathin, Pha Pa, Buddhist Lent, and Songkran.

 

A: It is suitable for cultural travelers, visitors interested in Lanna village temples, local Buddhist traditions, and quiet temple routes in Hot District.

 

A: Nearby places include Wat Wang Lung, Wat Silanimit, Wat Hang Dong, Wat Panyawuttharam, and Ob Luang National Park.