One of the temples in Chiang Mai that I visit most frequently is Wat Phan On. That has little to do with wats or monks, but rather it is always my first stop for food during the Sunday Night Market. The wat has a large central foreground and on market night it is filled with vendors selling Thai food at incredibly cheap prices. If you want a meal as opposed to a quick snack, there is plenty of seating – one of the few places along the market route that has tables and chairs. Depending on how hungry Noom is, we often have an early dinner at the wat. When I’m by myself or Noom has something specific he needs to shop for (which puts matters of the stomach in a lesser position of importance) I still stop by to start the evening off with a visit to the market’s best fried banana vendor.

Centered in the courtyard is a massive golden chedi with a small Buddha statue tucked into a niche at its base at all four points of the compass. Lines of bells, a massive gong, tiered umbrellas reaching into the sky, and larger Buddha statues sitting serenely underneath a large umbrella tree surround the chedi. All lit up at night the courtyard makes for an impressive sight. That scene coupled with the need to stroll through several long blocks of vendors before the market closes means I never bothered to check out the rest of the temple until an extended stay in Chiang Mai. Wat Phan On is a small temple. Touring through its buildings does not take long. You’ll spend more of your time in its courtyard, even during the day, and even without the lure of fried bananas.

Wat Phan On’s wiharn is an impressive two story structure featuring a massive prayer hall. A long line of wood shuttered windows decks its flanks, allowing filtered natural light to illuminate its predominately red interior. Each window is heavily decorated with carved mythological figures, and the bodies and heads of Naga make up their arches. Large square columns decorated with intricate gold-leaf motifs support the structure and the interior walls contain several murals depicting significant moments in the life of the Buddha. The temple’s primary Buddha image is a magnificent golden statue in the subduing Mara position, It is a copy of the famous Phra Chinnarat Buddha of the Wat Phra Sri Rattana Mahathat temple in Phitsanulok.

Wat Phan On holds one of the most beautiful chedis in Chiang Mai. Officially known as the Sareerikkatartsirirak Pagoda, it was built in 2007 and named by HRH King Bhumibol. Whether visiting during the day or at night, it is the temple’s chedi that captures most people’s attention.

The wat itself was originally built in 1501 during the reign of the Lanna King Mueang Kaeo, this small temple was also once the home of Wat Chedi Kwan, an even smaller temple built along the current wat’s western boundary. Eventually, the two temples were combined into one. For its prominence on Ratchadamnoen Road, the wat is not large, consisting of only its wiharn, chedi, and kuti, or monks living quarters*. There is also a small open-air ‘gift store’ whose main function is to sell alms for the faithful and touri alike to give to the monks.

If your merit making efforts require active participation, you can hand your offerings directly to the wat’s monks at about 7:00 am daily during their morning alms rounds (um, unless of course you are a woman – being an unclean creature you are not allowed to actually hand your offerings to the monks but need a man to do so for you). The wat also has a small monk chat program during which you can talk with a novice monk. Inquire at the gift shop about operating hours if that’s your desire. Or better yet, just kick back in the shade of the courtyard and watch the monks go about their daily duties before heading back out to the hustle and bustle of Chiang Mai’s Old City.

*Some websites state that the temple has an ubosot too, and that it is the second floor of the wiharn. Most state that the temple does not have an ubosot. Those that do seem to incorporate a note about Phra Bun Prasert, a celebrated monk and master woodcarver, who also did stucco work, the ‘finest example of which is seen at the ubosot which sits above the wiharn of Wat Phan On’. From pictures I’ve taken of the temple, I see lots of wood carving on the second floor, but little to no detailed stucco work. Next visit I’ll have to see if visitors can enter the second floor, or if one of the monks can clear up the matter. Or maybe I’ll just sit and contemplate the matter while having a second dish of fried bananas.

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