Wat Luang on Kham Lue Road in town is an ancient and principal temple built at the same time Phrae was established. Several restoration works have taken place. Some of its major features include the V ihan and Chiang Saen-style C hedi enshrining a H oly Relic brought over from Myanmar. Others are the museum housing various antiquities including several 500-year-old Buddha statues and a n ancient Lanna-style wooden structure.
To the west of Wat Luang is Wat Phra Non near the site of the old city walls. Some of the architectural works include the Chiang Saen - style Ubosot with narrow openings to let in light instead of normal windows. The lintel is made of wood with graceful designs. The eaves over the V ihan are all fretted, a symbol of northern architecture. Inside is a 9 met re -long plaster Reclining Buddha.
Wat Phra Bat Ming Mueang , located on Charoen Nakhon Road near the townhall, was built in 1955 by combining two ancient temples. There is an old C hedi containing a replica of the Holy Footprint inside.
The City Pillar Shrine of Phrae , situated on Khum De o m Road in the town centr e, features an inscription stone with ancient Thai scripts of the Sukhothai period, describing the construction of a temple in the town.
Located on Nam K h u Road next to the city moats is Wat Sa Bo Kae o , a temple with several exotic Burmese artistic-styled structures and Buddha statues. It is also where Burmese monks who travel to Thailand t o study the Buddhist scripture stay.
Just one kilomet re from the townhall on Yantrakit Koson Road is Wat Chom Sawan, a Burmese architectural style temple. The building, which combines the hall for conducting religious rituals and the monk's living quarters, is beautifully decorated both in its interiors and exteriors. The over-lapping roofs are adorned with fine fretworks. Antiquities found here include marble Buddha statues, statues made of woven bamboos coated with lacquer, and Buddha statues made from ivory, as well as ivory scripture slabs with Burmese scripts.
About 4 kilomet re s away on Highway No. 101 (Phrae-Nan) is Ban T h ung Hong , a village noted for the making of products f ro m Mo Hom (ÁèÍÎèÍÁ) material. It is a local cotton fabric dyed in blue, which is used in the making of native and modern wear.
Ban Rong Fong speciali s es in making metal agricultural tools using traditional production methods. The village can be reached by taking Highway No. 101 (Phrae-Nan) with a turn into Highway No. 1101 leading to Rong Fong. |
About 12 kilomet re s out of town, and with a further 6 k ilometres after a right turn, is the Phae Mueang Phi , a wide area with no large trees. Because of subsidence and erosion of the soil, the harder elements remain and are formed into the shapes of exotic-looking mushrooms.
A small, 2-level waterfall, Nam Tok Mae Khaem is located at Tambon Suan Khu a n. To reach it, go on the Pa Daeng- Thu ng Hong road for 4 k ilometre s. Then turn left and continue for another 12 k ilometres. There is another fall, larger and with three levels, in the vicinity. It is Nam Tok Tat Mok , which is about 22 k ilometres from town.
Wat Phra That Cho Hae is about 8 k ilometres to the east of town on Highway No. 1022. A major religious site of the province, it was built since the time of Sukhothai. The 33 met re - tall Chiang Saen - style C hedi houses a Holy Relic. It was built of bricks and covered with bright brass sheets. The name of the temple refers to fine silk woven in Si p S ong Panna (in southern China) which was first used to wrap around the C hedi when the temple was first constructed. There is a fair celebrating the Chedi in March every year.
Three kilometres from Phra That Cho Hae is Wat Phra That Chom Chaeng , some 10 k ilometres from town. Built in the year 788, the name of the builder was unknown. The golden C hedi is 29 metr e s tall and enshrines a Holy Relic. There is also a museum of rare ancient relics.
The Phraya Chaiyabun Memorial is about four kilomet re s from the Phrae townhall on Highway No. 101. Governor of the town during 1897-1902, he was slain by rebelling Shan tribemen when he refused to cede t he town to them. After the rebellion was put down by government troops, King Rama V ordered a memorial erected in his hono u r.
The Folklore Museum , in the same compound as the Ban Fai garden restaurant three kilomet re s from town on the Phrae-S u ng Men road, is made up of several buildings and wooden structures displaying exhibits on the local way of life. The different types of wooden houses demonstrate the different statuses of the local people. There are also market and shophouses of the past.
About 9 k ilometres to the south of town on Highway No. 101 in S u ng Men district is the Hua Dong Market. It is the cent re of products made from wood and rattan, mostly household furnitures and decorative items.
Some 700 met re s off Highway No.101 at Ban Hua Dong is Wat Phra Luang. It features a Sukhothai - style C hedi and is refer red to by the local people as "That Neong" , meaning the leaning Chedi. |
