Wat Phra Kaew, Chiang Rai
Wat Phra Kaew is famous throughout Thailand for being the place where the Emerald Buddha (now in the Grand Palace in Bangkok) was discovered. Legend has it that a lightning bolt struck an old chedi at the wat in 1434 thus revealing the translucent emerald statue. The one in Chiang Rai now is a replica. Wat Phra Kaew was granted Royal status in 1978 and is now a centre for Buddhist learning in Northern Thailand. It also serves as a museum which holds many items of religious art from the Lanna period.
