Wat Hua Wiang, Mueang District, Mae Hong Son
Located on Sihanat Bamrung Road, Jong Kham Subdistrict (next to the morning market at the traffic light intersection), this temple is located in the center of the city. It was built in 1863 and houses the image of Phra Chao Para Lakhang, a beautiful Buddha image of the city. Wat Hua Wiang is the second temple in Mae Hong Son. The word Hua Wiang means the provincial capital. It is said that the first Wat Hua Wiang was built with 7 pavilions. However, in 1972, all 7 pavilions were demolished and a new pavilion was built, which is still in use today. Wat Hua Wiang is important because it is the center of Mae Hong Son and is used for public purposes, such as being a polling station for municipal council members, provincial council members, and members of the House of Representatives. It is also a meeting place for villagers' scouts every month. Even the meetings of the Sangha leaders in the district and other districts, provinces, and other provinces are still held at this temple regularly. The highlight is the 5 Buddha images, which are ancient Buddha images. The large one is in the middle. Facing the east, built in 1863, the smaller statue is in front of the large statue facing east. The other 3 smaller statues are built in a row to the north, 2 in the south and one facing north. Phala Lakhang Temple was built to enshrine Phala Lakhang, a replica of the one from Mandalay, Myanmar. Uncle Jong Pho-ya and Uncle Jong Wun Na traveled to invite Phra Chao Phala Lakhang to come and cast 9 sections, loaded on a boat along the Pai River and assembled at Wat Phra Non before being enshrined at Wat Hua Wiang. Mae Hong Son people consider Phra Chao Phala Lakhang to be another Buddha image that is a sacred pair of Mae Hong Son. There are 2 castle-shaped temples, with the large one being square-shaped with the same width and length, which is 1,850 meters, and about 15 meters high from the ground. The building is made of wood, with the ground floor being concrete. The interior floor is tiled with various patterns. The concrete walls are supported by wooden railings. The roof is in three layers. The top is a dome covered with zinc and carved with zinc patterns on every layer. The small chapel on the east side is built in the same style as the large chapel and is assumed to have been built at the same time but is more detailed. It has five layers of roof, excluding the dome and umbrella. The chapel is 6.40 meters wide and 8.30 meters long. In the Shan language, the small chapel is called "Ahoyong Kham", which means a place to receive guests. It took two years to build this chapel. Materials used for construction include zinc, colored glass, and floor tiles from Myanmar. The Sala Jamsri, a wooden building with a zinc roof, is decorated with perforated zinc patterns and has a beautiful shape. It is a Shan-style wooden pavilion built in the Rattanakosin period and has been declared an ancient monument by the Fine Arts Department. The new ubosot is built in a combination of Shan and Burmese architectural styles. It is a concrete building with a high roof in layers and roofed with tiles decorated with perforated zinc patterns. #TempleVisit #WatHuaWiang #MaeHongSon #Thailand