Wat Umong Mahathera Chan — Attraction in Chiang Mai Province

First of all make shure that you go to Wat Umong Mahathera Chan and not to Wat Umong Suan Phutthatham which is outsinde of the Old town in the forest. The exterior of the temple is not very spectacular. I visited the temple to see the murals in the viharn. They are colorful depictions of the Vessantara Jātaka. This is one of the most beloved narratives of the Buddha's past lives. In this last life before his birth as Siddhartha Gautama, he was a prince named Vessantara. From his earliest youth he gave away everything to the needy. When he also gave away a white elephant to the neighboring kingdom, the people became rebellious, as it was believed that the white elephant would ensure the kingdom's supply of rain. He was therefore banished from the kingdom. But he could not stop giving everything away. He gave away his chariot, his children and his wife. A vicious role is played by old Bhramane Jujaka. He had a pretty young wife who desperately wanted domestic servants. The old Bhramane and his pretty wife can be easily identified in the pictures. Since Vessantara also gave away his children, angels (Devas) had to take care of the little ones. But everything turns out well. The family is reunited and, riding on elephants, they move back into Vessantara's kingdom. This can also be seen clearly in one of the pictures (two elephants with magnificent seats and soldiers in green uniforms). There are also several pictures of the evil Jujaka. In one of them he is sitting on a tree and is threatened by a hunter and dogs. In a second picture, he visits his guru, who shows him the way with an outstretched hand. There are also pictures of stories from Buddha's life: Buddha subduing Mara with the earth mother Phra Mae Thoranee doing the trick with her long hair. The famous serial killer Angulimala is also depicted kneeling before Buddha. And, of course, the taming of the wild elephant can be seen. The elephant was sent by Devadatta to trample Buddha, but is tamed by...

Wat Umong was built around 1296-1297 and is believed to relate to Wat Umong (Buddha Dhamma) at the foot of Doi Suthep Mountain, where Phra Maha Thera Chan, a Buddhist monk famous for his profound understanding of Dharma, resided.

It is possible that this Wat Umong was the temple where Phra Maha Thera Chan was ordained and resided for a period of time before moving to Wat Umong (Buddha Dhamma). This temple is sometimes called Wat Umons Thera Chan. The assembly hall at Wat Umons is a rectangular Lanna-style building, adorned with apex finials, Naga bargeboards, and pediments.

The stairway at the front of the hall is flanked by two stucco lions. The principal stupa is a Lanna-style bell-shaped stupa, located to the west of the assembly hall.

The subsidiary stupa is located to the south of the assembly hall. It is believed to be a mondo stupa, influenced by the Bagan-style mondop and Lanna bell-shaped stupa. It probably had a roof to shelter worshipers from rain and sun, similar to...

Off the beaten for most tourists but this is one of the temples that should be on your list of places to visit. The head monk speaks good English here, and is only to happy to talk about the history of the temple and the monks who reside here. It is a place for meditation with a small meditation area for people who want to genuinely take part in a meditation experience here.

Shady, great to get out of the midday sun, but as someone who lives not far from this temple, I would say go early morning. It is amazingly peaceful, and you may be lucky enough to see the monks collecting alms from...