Wat Maha Pho

Rating: 2.3/5 (15 votes)

Operating day: Daily

Operating time: 08.00 - 17.00

 

Wat Maha Pho Nai Wiang, Muang Nan, Nan. The temple was originally established during the reign of King Rama II of the Rattanakosin era, when Phaya Sumon Thewarat, the ruler of Nan, relocated the city due to severe flooding in the original location. The new city, which included the compound of Wat Phra Kaew, was named "Wiang Nuea" (Northern City) and was established during the period between 1819–1854 (currently within the area of Ban Sathat-Maha Pho).

 

Later, a fire destroyed the vihara (main hall) within the temple compound of Wat Phra Kaew. Only a single standing Buddha image, made of carved wood and gilded with gold leaf in the “Opening the Worlds” posture, survived the blaze. The statue, which stands 2.83 meters tall, was found lying in front of its base. After being cleaned, it was temporarily kept at Wat Chiang Khaeng. However, due to concerns about theft, the statue was eventually returned to Wat Maha Pho, where it is now enshrined as the principal Buddha image in the ordination hall.

 

This wooden standing Buddha image, which remarkably survived the fire, is deeply revered by the people of Nan as sacred and miraculous. It is considered one of the most important religious artifacts of Wat Maha Pho and a treasured possession of the local community.

 

According to legend, foreigners once attempted to purchase the statue, offering to replace it with a metal cast. However, each time they tried to cast a replica, something inexplicably went wrong with the process, leading them to abandon the plan entirely. Since then, no further attempts have been made.

 

Wat Maha Pho was officially registered as a temple in 1674 and received royal boundary consecration in 1979. It is located in Ban Maha Pho village, bordered to the north by Rajamangala University of Technology Lanna (Nan Campus), to the east by Ban Chiang Khaeng and Suriya Phong Military Camp, to the south by Ban Sathat, and to the west by Nan Airport.

 

The temple is also associated with the revered monk Kruba Yawichai, who journeyed on foot from Muang Hongsa (in present-day Laos) and took up residence in Ban Maha Pho, where he began constructing monastic dwellings.

 

During the tenure of Phra Palad Khai Kham Suvanno, a traditional herbal medicine practitioner, the vihara—then severely damaged by termites—was restored and completed in 1963. Later, under the guidance of Phra Athikan Srinuan Inthawangso, the vihara was officially consecrated as the ubosot (ordination hall), thereby legitimizing the temple’s status in accordance with monastic regulations. Today, the temple is overseen by the abbot Phra Santiphap Santajitto.