The whole complex of temple buildings under a single name Wat Phra Kaew is spread in an area of ​​10, 640 square meters on the street Trayrat in the center of Chiang Rai. Wat Phra Kaew is the center of the Buddhist community (sangha) of northern Thailand, is located monastic educational institutions, as well as the department of management.

Wat Phra Kaew is one of the oldest and most revered temples in Chiang Rai. The temple is of great historical importance for the whole of Thailand. The exact date of its construction is not known.

The original temple had another name: Wat Pa Yyah. Everything changed in 1434, when the octagonal chedi (stupa) in its territory was split by lightning, revealing a world of great beauty of the Emerald Buddha statue. In the name of the statue "Phra Kaew" and was named the temple.

Buddhists believe that the statue of the Emerald Buddha is of divine origin, and treat her with great reverence. Its not just transported to a new place, many have tried to take possession of the statue by force and power. The end point of travel statue Phra Kaew in 1778 became the capital of Thailand Bangkok present when King Rama I brought it out of Laos. The statue of the Emerald Buddha was set at Wat Phra Kaew in Bangkok on March 22, 1784. Thai people sincerely believe that their state exists as long as they remain the Emerald Buddha.

Now Phra Kaew temple in Chiang Rai kept artfully created a copy of the original statue of the Emerald Buddha, made by special order in 1990. In 1991 the statue Copy special consecration ceremony was held at Wat Phra Kaew in Bangkok.

At the temple is a museum Sengkae, built in 1995 in traditional style of northern Thailand. It houses a rich collection of works of the northern Thai art. Detailed comments on each exhibit in Thai and English, provide full information on each subject.