Wat Sri Suphan also called The Silver Temple is truly one of the most beautiful temples in Chiang Mai. This unique temple is almost completely clad in silver. It is one of a kind in Thailand and perhaps in Asia.

Wat Sri Suphan is also known as the Silver Temple because the entire surface of the temple, inside and out, is being covered in sparkling silver handcrafted decoration. Originally built around 1500 Wat Sri Suphan is also one of the oldest temples in Chiang Mai.

Wat Sri Suphan is an amazing, unique and intrinsic work of architectural marvel built entirely by the skilled traditional workers from the local community. Even if you’re not a temple fan, or you think that you’ve seen enough temple in Chiang Mai already, this temple’s unique nature and being the only one of its kind in Thailand still make it worth the visit.

The temple is located at Wualai District, Chiang Mai’s traditional silver-making village just south of the old city. Due to its location in a quiet neighbourhood, Wat Sri Suphan is relatively unknown and doesn’t see a lot of tourists compared with the temples on the mountain and inside the historical old city.

Wat Sri Suphan is spectacular yet not touristy as it’s slightly outside the city walls. The entire surface of the temple, inside and out, is being covered in silver.

Crafted out of silver and aluminium, the Silver Temple sits within the silversmith district and showcases the intricate work of the local people.

As one of the oldest temples in Chiang Mai, Wat Sri Suphan was originally built in the 16th century during the Mangrai Dynasty when the 11th king of Lanna Kingdom, Phra Muang Kaew, ruled the kingdom between 1495 and 1525.

Since the original construction, the temple have been rebuilt and renovated over the different historical periods and in modern time.

Today’s Silver Temple is the result of a renovation from 2008 to 2016 performed by the silver craftsman in the surrounding Wua Lai community who have built up an impressive knowledge of fine metalwork over many generations.

Wat Sri Suphan is a modern architectural marvel built entirely by the skilled traditional workers from the local community.

Wat Sri Suphan is a unique and exquisite modern interpretation of traditional Lanna design. From the walls to the roff, the temple is completely covered in a combination of silver, nickel, and aluminum. Even the Buddha statues are covered in silver.

Most of the work is carried out using aluminium (areas where silver isn’t practical) with precious silver being reserved for the holy images and the most crucial architectural elements. However that should not detract from the actual workmanship itself as it’s incredible and highly detailed.

Wat Sri Suphan is a small but impressive silver construction, the details are majestic and you certainly will lost some minutes observing every inch of the building’s detailed artwork.

When viewed up closed you can see great variety of decorations pounded into the silver panels on both sides of the temple with incredibly detailed silver carving displaying scenes and key moments from the life of Buddha.

You’ll also see figures from rural life, religious mythology, the zodiac animals etc. Although this isn’t pure silver but an aluminum-silver alloy, it looks pretty real and beautifully crafted.