Lampang is one the most beautiful towns of northern Thailand located between Sukhothai and Chiang Mai. Known also for some of the most beautiful temples of Northern Thailand, Lampang remains a tourist attraction. One of the most beautiful temples is the Wat Sri Chum located on Sri Chum Road, not far from the central part of the town. 
Wat Sri Chum is a traditional Burmese temple with the most intricately carved entrance pillars, and the pillars inside are also carved in gold and black lacquer reaching up to the wooden carved ceiling. It is believed to have been completely constructed by Burmese craftsmen who were employed in the northern logging business in the area known for its teak wood.
The statue of the Buddha on the side is also typical Burmese style and the walls are paneled in red and gold with temple scenes distinctly visible. The chedi and the monastery are set in the midst of green coconut palms. Unfortunately the temple was almost completely destroyed by a fire over a decade ago, which caused colossal damage to the structure and artistic façade. Lots of it has been reconstructed to make it a close replica of the original but most critics feel that the intricacies and detail are missing. The black porches are a constant reminder of the devastating fire. Though it appears small, it is the biggest of the 31 Burmese temples found in Thailand. The significant part of the temple is the big Viharn or prayer hall made half of brick and half of wood. It also has mural style paintings of the Buddha. The main hall is called the Ubosot and has five mondops (stupas) and a seven-storied roof. Burmese monks always maintained the temple but now it has a Thai monk in charge of operations. It also happens to be one temple with lots of information in English as well as having an English-speaking monk.
Ubosot (ordination hall)
Wat Sri Chum is referred to as Nyaung Wine Khuang in Burmese as nyaung means banyan, and in Thai Sri Chum implies “bodhi tree’. It has been declared a national treasure by Thailand’s department of Fine Arts.
Photo By John Glines
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