The Temples of Mae Hong Son

Wat Chong Kham

When I first visited Mae Hong Son, the capital of the least populated province in Thailand, more than thirty years ago, I was immediately sold. Back then it was one of the country's most pristine and remote towns, tucked away between towering mountains and difficult to reach from Chiang Mai via a road that seemed to wind forever in sharp hairpin bends between the steep, densely forested slopes.

It was a quiet place, where life was, in my opinion, much less hectic and busy than in the rest of the country. A pace that honestly appealed to me. This once unsightly stain has now been discovered by the backpackers and – with the exception of covid times – a busy one tourist destination become. And who would blame them because it is and remains a very attractive destination in the extreme northwest of Thailand.

Historically, this region was already inhabited more than five thousand years ago in the form of small settlements along the Pai River. Archaeological finds all point in that direction, but Mae Hong Son is of much more recent date. Geographically, culturally and politically-administratively, this region was for centuries isolated from the central Siamese or Thai authority. There were significantly stronger ties with neighbors Lanna, Shan and Burma than with Ayutthaya or Bangkok. Mae Hong Son emerged in the early 1865th century as an elephant camp that was rapidly bursting at the seams. It was a strategically located base station for logging, the main source of income in the sparsely populated region. This remained the case until 1900. In that year, thousands of Shan fled the war violence in Burma to these regions. Their presence and the thriving timber industry ensured the rapid growth of Mae Hong Son, which in that period grew into a kind of mini-buffer state between Burma and Siam. In addition, the British, who controlled a large part of the teak trade in the region, also cast a greedy eye on the town. This realization also reached Bangkok, where autonomously governed regions and British aspirations were viewed with suspicion. In the last quarter of the nineteenth century, King Chulalongkorn, fixated on restoring central authority, sent a governor to the town to force them into line with Bangkok. His work bore fruit because in XNUMX Mae Hong Son province was formally incorporated into Siam.

Wat Chong Kham and Wat Chong Klang, the two Burmese-style temples, located on the banks of Nong Kham Lake, close to Mae Hong Son city center.

Most of the temples in Mae Hong Son were built in an architecturally inconclusive style that is strongly influenced by Burmese, Shan, and Lanna characteristics. Wat Chong Kham is the oldest temple complex in the city. This temple is located in the center of Mae Hong Son on a lake that bears the same name and close to Wat Chong Klang. The foundation stone of this temple was laid in 1827 by the Shan ruler Phaya Singhanataraj. Too bad, but unfortunately a large part of this temple was lost in a raging fire and what you see today is mainly reconstruction from the XNUMXs. However, this does not mean that a visit to this site is useless, because fortunately old construction drawings and photo material could be used during the reconstruction. The absolute highlight are, as far as is concerned, the very beautiful, built of no less than seven storeys Pyatthat or roof spire of the wihan and the somewhat odd-looking square and whitewashed one ubosot which is surmounted by three Shan style shrines. The adjacent Wat Chong Klang, together with the aforementioned Wat Chong Kam, is one of the most photographed sites in the region. This temple, dominated by a large, lavishly painted gold-painted Burmese-style chedi, was built in the period 1860-1864 and serves as the home of the revered Buddha Sihing which was brought to Mae Hong Son from Burma in 1857.

Wat Hua Wiang, multi-gabled Burmese Shan style temple in Mae Hong Son

The Wat Hua Wiang, near the Morning Market, is a prime example of mixed Burmese-Shan style with a traditional tropical hardwood five-story roof of the wihan. It is not entirely clear when this temple was built and when I inquired locally no one could give an exact date, but I have such a dark suspicion that it was built in the last quarter of the nineteenth century. There is little spectacular to see on this site were it not for the fact that this temple houses the revered Phra Chao Phala Lakhaeng, a bronze Buddha statue cast in Burmese Mandalay and transferred to Mae Hong Son in the 1890s. The Wat Kham Kho, built in XNUMX on Siri Mongkol Road opposite the Mae Hong Son Stadium, is perhaps the least interesting temple in the city, but those who love fine wood carvings and beautiful sculptures will definitely get their money's worth here. A long wooden gallery with a weathered wooden footpath worn out by thousands of pilgrims and a very beautiful one pyattha  leads the visitors to the wihan of this temple. In addition to the wihan there is a sublime but slightly tarnished example of a chedi in Burmese style and the slightly further standing bell tower is not to be missed.

Wat Phra Non (Jarung H / Shutterstock.com)

Wat Phra Non or the Monastery of the Sleeping Buddha is located at the eastern foot of the hill on which Wat Phra That Doi Kong Mu is built. The monastery has not stolen its name because you will find a colorful, twelve meter long reclining Buddha made of bricks and cement, which was made when this monastery was built in 1875, by order of a local potentate. When you visit this site, pay attention to the very beautiful metal roof of the mondop in Burmese style. Via a long, dilapidated and heavily overgrown staircase leading through two large and formidable looking Chinten, mythical lions that are the Burmese counterparts of the Siamese-Thai Singh, you can climb to the Wat Phra That Doi Kong Mu, but most visitors use the new road that was built to the top of the Doi Kong Mu. In fact, this temple is located on the outskirts of Mae Hong Son and is one of the landmarks of the region because it is visible from far and wide. This temple complex used to be known as Wat Plai Doi. Most pilgrims visit the temple for the two chedis. The largest was built in 1860 and is said to contain the relics of Phra Moggalana, one of the Buddha's original disciples. The smaller chedi dates from 1874 and was erected by Mae Hong Son's first Siamese governor, Phraya Singhanat Raja.

Wat Phra That Doi Kong Mu

To conclude, this tip: A few kilometers north of Mae Hong Son is the Wat Pu Sama. Not really a spectacular site in itself, but a picturesque, nine hundred meter long bridge, the Su Tong Pae Bamboo Bridge, connects this temple to the village of Ban Kung Mai Sak. It offers a nice walk through a calming and enchanting landscape. Come for the best shots just before sunset. A unique and photogenic experience guaranteed…