Wat Mahawan, golden naga figures guarding temple.

Getty Images/Flickr RM

Wat Mahawan

Chiang Mai


Among the most handsome wát outside the old city, Wat Mahawan shows the obvious influence of the Burmese teak traders who used to worship here. The whitewashed chedi and Burmese-style gateways are decorated with a stucco menagerie of angels and mythical beasts. You can also get a massage here to support the wát (from 150B).


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Chiang Mai attractions

1. Wat Chetawan

0.06 MILES

Historic wát just east of the old city with an ancient-looking mosaic-decorated stupa.

2. Wat Ou Sai Kham

0.14 MILES

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3. Pratu Tha Phae

0.15 MILES

The biggest of Chiang Mai's ancient gates is lively with tourists snapping photos and feeding the pigeons.

4. Wat Bupparam

0.2 MILES

This highly ornate temple shows the clear influence of the Burmese teak merchants who immigrated to Chiang Mai during the 19th century. The eye-catching…

5. Wat Saen Fang

0.23 MILES

A large and colourful wát with an impressive, mosaic-tiled chedi that blends Burmese and Lanna styles. The chedi is guarded by lion figures and an old…

7. Namdhari Sikh Temple

0.3 MILES

Chinatown is also home to a small population of Sikh migrants from Myanmar who specialize in selling bolts of fabric. They worship at the nearby Namdhari…

8. Wat Phan On

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Fringed by gilded Buddhas, the stately chedi at this prosperous wát is visited by scores of locals after dark. There's a coffee shop and massage pavilion…

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