Wat Phra That Cho Hae, the Royal Temple, is a sacred ancient temple in Phrae and a temple of people who have the year of birth in year of the Tiger.
Wat Phra That Cho Hae, the Royal Temple, is located at 11 Moo 1 Cho Cho Hae Hae Road, Muang District, Phrae Province, spread on an area of 175 rai (1 rai = 1,600 square meter). Everyone who visit Phrae province must not miss to worship Phra That Cho Hae for auspiciousness themselves. A statement that “If you come to Phrae, but do not worship Phra That Cho Hae, you do not yet reach to Phrae. The main road to visit Wat Phra That Cho Hae is Cho Hae Road, which start from Baan Tung intersection, the city center intersection. Go along Cho Hae Road through Phrae hospital, and then you will pass Phrae Airport, and Sa Nam Bin intersection. Go straight on to highway 1022. Wat Phra That Cho Hae, the Royal Temple is located in the Cho Hae municipality area, 9 kilometers from the city of Phrae.
His Majesty the King addressed the Wat Phra That Cho Hae as a royal temple third class the ordinary type on 23 June 2549, which announced in a common issue of the Government Gazette Vol. 123 Part 96, dated September 19, 2549.
The temple is located in a hill about 28 meters high. The body is a Pagan pagoda, octagon shape, wood inoamuam twelve, and Chiang Saen art. Lined with gold, high 33 meters, square base wide 11 meters each side, it is situate on a square base, then next floor is octagonal base 3-storey, and next is a lotus base upside down. Overlap each other degradation over 7 floors, the shape then is like a bell in lotus shape and then change to octagonal shape bell. Next up is the twelfth Inoamuam wood. The top decorate in Lanna style. The body covered with gold throughout. A steel fence surrounding the Holy element has 4 directions, 4 doors, creating each door’s arch in the beautiful Lanna style.
Fine Arts Department has announced the registration Wat Phra That Cho Hae as the archaeological site in the Government Gazette Volume 52 Part 75, dated March 8, 2478 and announced the historic scope in the Government Gazette Volume 97 Part 159, dated October 14, 2523.
Chronicles of His Majesty on the Sukhothai period in the National Library said to Wat Phra That Cho Hae, the Royal Temple that year of built between 1879-1881 B.E. during the reign of King Maha Dhamaracha (Lithai). He like to build the place of Buddhist religion as it appears in history and select Doi Go Sataya Chucka Banpot (Go Sataya Chucka Banpot Hill) to build a pagoda, Phra That Cho Hae.
According to legend, His Majesty Maharaja Lithai gave the Lord Buddha relics (the hair elements) to Khun Lua Ai Kom (Phra That Cho Hae builder) to be contained in the pagoda base. When Khun Lua Ai Kom arrived to Doi Go Sataya Chucka Banpot, he found that it has a good location to build the pagoda. He put the casket containing the relics in the Golden Lion statue, and built a podium of the casket by silver and gold. After set up the Golden Lion statue, he used the cement waved over for another layer. After that, he set a celebration event 7 days and 7 nights. Later Phrae was assembled into the Kingdom of Lanna Thai, Lanna King has renovated Phra That Cho Hae continuously. Until the fall of dynasty, Phra That Cho Hae was so delipliated respectively. In 2467 B.E., Kruba Srivijaya (Saint of Lanna) restored Phra That Cho Hae with Phrae Province Minstry, which had Phra Maha Methang Gon (Prom Prom Dhe Vo), a former dean of Phrae Province Monk as a president of restoration. Phra That Cho Hae returned to grace as a pride of Phrae city.
Another legend of Phra That Cho Hae say that the Lord Buddha came to Phrae, sat at Doi Go Sataya Chucka Banpot (Go Sataya Chucka Banpot Hill). Khun Lua Ai Kom (Phra That Cho Hae builder) has come to worship the Lord Buddha on this hill. Lord Buddha has shown him the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Noble Path, and then given him the relics (the hair elements) as a gift. Lord Buddha ordered Khun Lua Ai Kom to put the relics in a cave nearby, and said that after his nirvana, do remove the relics of left elbow to put in this place as well. After Lord Buddha’s nirvana 218 years, the Great King Asoka and all saint of Lord Buddha join prayer, and summon the urn, which contain the relics, and then provided that to places where the Lord Buddha was predestined. At the end of prayers went out, all relics from the urn came out into the air and went to the defined places. For the remaining relics, the saint brought to 84,000 pagodas, announced to the angels to defend all forever until the end of the Buddhist 5,000 years.
For the name of Phra That Cho Hae, some say that it comes from fine woven gauze from Xishuangbanna, which villagers use to band the pagoda for worship. Some say that it is from the satin, which Lua Ai Ko offer to the Lord Buddha. Every year, the worship festival is on 9 - 15 in the fourth lunar month (around March).
Phra That Cho Hae Temple is the temple of on