Wat Buppharam is outside the old city walls on Thapae Road, the street in front of the Thapae Gate. It consists in a ubosot, two viharns, a Dhamma hall, a chedi and a holy water shaft. Its chedi was built more than four centuries ago in a Burmese and Mon style. White with a gold covered top, it is guarded by four Singha lions and contains a statue of Buddha on each side. The small Lanna style wihaan with a wooden facade was probably built in the 16th century. The big wihaan is more recent, it was built two centuries ago and contains murals depicting scenes of one of the Jataka tales which are about the previous lives of the Buddha. The main Buddha statue have been cast about 500 years ago.
But despite all its historical elements, people mostly remember this temple for its small statue of Donald eating a bowl of chinese noodles standing outside the main hall.
Guide to visit Wat Buppharam
Free admission
Open from 6 AM to PM
How to get to Wat Buppharam ?
Depending on your location in Chiang Mai, you can walk to Wat Buppharam. Smart Bus Line R3 also stops there. Otherwise, as always in Chiang Mai, there are the red cars that roam the city. You indicate your destination before getting on or you can hire a tuk-tuk (more expensive) or rent a bicycle for the day.