Lampang Things to Do

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This wonderful Burmese-style temple is located just to the south of the town centre. "Sri Chum" means Bodhi tree in the northern Thai language. It is the biggest Burmese temple in Thailand and was built by a rich Burmese in 1892. Important monuments to be found in this temple are a golden stupa enshrining Buddha relics brought from Burma in 1906, a chapel enshrining a Burmese-styled Buddha image This chapel has decorative door panels made out of teak. Inside are mural paintings depicting scenes from the Buddha's life as well as a draft plan of the temples construction plan. The temple was reconstructed following a tragic fire in 1992.

Admission: 20 baht.

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Wat Phra Kaew Don Tao, on the West Bank of the Wang River, is said to have housed the Emerald Buddha between 1436 and 1468. The temple features a small bot in the centre that dates from around 1800. Other interesting structures include a large Chedi containing the hair of the Lord Buddha, a Burmese-style Mondop, an ancient Vihan housing a reclining Buddha and a museum exhibiting ancient relics of the Lanna era.

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Baan Sao Nak (house of many pillars) is a massive teak house demonstrating Thai and Burmese influence in its design. The house, built in 1895, is probably one of the most famous in the north and is worth making the effort to visit.

Held up by 116 teak columns, the house has been furnished with the recently-deceased owner's personal possessions and antiques that include silverwork, lacquer ware, bronze ware, ceramics and other north-Thai crafts.

Open: 10am-5pm daily. Admission: 50 which also includes a soft drink.

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During the late 19th century Lampang was a large trading centre with most goods arriving by river. Taladkao Rd was the heart of this bustle, with Thai, Chinese, British and Burmese merchants all located along this road.

Today the traders are gone but their houses remain. It's worth taking a walk down the road to see some of the intriguing melds of different styles.

At the eastern end of Th Talat Kao is this lovely white bridge that crosses over the Mae Wang River. It was originally built during the reign of King Rama IV out of wood and reinforced concrete for celebrating the silver jubilee in Bangkok for King Rama V but tumbled down in 1915. It was then rebuilt using more reinforced concrete. There are four posts, 2 at each end, with decorative symbols in commemoration of King Rama V such as the royal garuda and royal hen.

Somehow, I think Si Rong Muang is the nicest of Burmese temples in Lampang, regarding the composition. It was founded in 1900 next to the river west of Lampang centre. Here you can see wonderful carvings upon the stairs and Burmese style vihara (which they started constructing in 1905) with overlapping roofs, red and yellow colored. Inside, Buddha images, ceiling and decorated pillars with floral patterns are probably the most remarkable elements of the temple.

There are some wonderful wood carvings of doors and windows of Pra Tu Pong temple and it's altogether nice, serene place with a few visitors (or none in a rainy day). It's built in Lanna architecture style, with vihara about 100 years old. See also small Buddha statues in the niches of white stupa behind the temple.

That's large and most famous of wats in Lampang province. It's placed in Ko Kha district about 2-3 km from Ko Kha town. Ko Kha itself is nearly 20 km from Lampang and to get there on your own you'd best take songthaew from Robwiang road (in front of Ka Fe restaurant). The temple is located on the elevated area and it's interesting Lanna style architecture with complex of religious buildings in the compound - the most important one being the central, open-sided wooden Nam Tam Viahra with two Buddha images and rows of heavy teak pillars. Phrathat Lampang Luang was built 1486 and believed to contain Buddhas relic (which gave name to the temple). Other outstanding features of the site are: large stairs which lead to the main entrace with carved arch, old mural paintings with with elephant and people in Nam Tam Vihara, the small altars and ox behind (symol of people born in the year of ox), golden chedi, man's room (no woman is allowed to enter here) and images/sculptures of reclining Buddha in side vihara. Another detail that may draw your attention is the white sculpture of a sitting fat man behind chedi with stressed black contours of eyes, wrapped in red. Behind it there's tree and large bare and colored sticks are laid upon its trunk. Those sticks I noticed laid on trunks of some other Lampang temples and I read somewhere that they're placed by Karen people for their new year.