Tucked away outside the old city’s walls is Wat Sri Suphan (วัดศรีสุพรรณ), one of the oldest temples in Chiang Mai, known as the ‘silver temple.’ It’s arguably the most unique temple in Chiang Mai because its silver shrine (อุโบสถเงิน) is the only one that’s all silver!
Well, it’s not 100% pure silver – alloys were used for practicality and pure silver reserved for the most important images, but it looks like it’s all silver. The surrounding Wua Lai area is known for its silver craftsmanship, which is no surprise, because this hall is magnificent! The first building on the site was built to consecrate a Buddha image in 1500 and the silver hall – which is technically a shrine, not a temple – followed in 1509. It was renovated in 2008.
The temple itself is the building beside the silver hall. It’s impressive in itself and gives some contrast to see quite how stunning the shrine is. Even the Ganesha statue and demons are silver. There’s still a workshop and exhibition hall onsite where visitors can admire craftsmen and monks at work, or take a course on working with silver. The course isn’t free, but everything else is.
When I was there, a donation stall was set up, offering silver souvenirs and moringa tea. It was run by an absolutely lovely lady volunteering for the Wat Ngoen Foundation, which helps psychiatric patients after Covid. The lady had barely survived Covid herself but said it made her see that the meaning of life is finding happiness and helping others. She wouldn’t let me go until I’d had plenty of tea and sent me off with some water without expecting anything in return, but I did make a donation just because I loved the temple and enjoyed chatting with her. For that I got a cute keyring and engraved bookmark, which are definitely my favourite souvenirs from Thailand!
Women aren’t allowed inside the shrine. Some articles say it’s because women are considered ‘pure,’ so they’re at risk from the impurities in the metals, but a local told me it’s related to Thailand’s law about wearing underwear – because women used to wear skirts or dresses without underwear and their menstrual blood stained temple floors. I’ve no idea which is the truth, but anyway, you can see some of the interior from outside and there are photos online. It doesn’t look quite as beautiful as the exterior, so we’re not missing too much.
The back of the shrine is as impressive as the front. It’s covered in 3D artwork depicting stories of the Buddha’s life and history of the temple. I can’t imagine the effort and skill it took to pummel all this into the metal and that’s coming from an arts graduate!
Even if you’re not interested in temples or you’ve got a bad case of ‘temple fatigue,’ this one is worth seeing just to marvel at the artistry. It was my favourite temple in Chiang Mai. It was quiet when I went, but there are reviews on Google Maps complaining about crowds, so you might want to arrive early (or late to see it lit up at night).
- Address: 100 Wua Lai Rd, Tambon Hai Ya, Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai 50100, Thailand
- Admission: Free
- Nearby attractions: Wua Lai Road (0.1 mile), Wat Muen San (0.2 mile), Wat Nantaram (0.5 mile), Wat Chedi Luang (0.8 mile), Wat Phra Singh (0.8 mile)
Did you know there’s also a lesser-known ‘silver temple’ nearby? Wat Muen San isn’t quite as majestic as this one, but if you’ve enjoyed Wat Sri Suphan (or want to see a silver temple without crowds), it’s definitely worth checking out.
Atlas and a Camera 