The legend of the Emerald Buddha is related in number of sources, in particular Ratanabimbavamsa or The Chronicle of the Emerald Buddha written in Pali by Brahmarājapañña in the 15th century.[9] The story is a mix of fact and fables with some variations to the story.[10] According to the legend, the Emerald Buddha was created in India in 43 BC by a saint in India named Nagasena in the city of Pataliputra (today's Patna). Nagasena was said to have made the Emerald Buddha image made with the help of Hindu god Vishnu and demigod Indra, 500 years after Buddha attained Nirvana. He was said to have predicted that:[2]
The image of the Buddha is assuredly going to give to religion the most brilliant importance in five lands, that is in Lankadvipa (Sri Lanka), Ramalakka, Dvaravati, Chieng Mai and Lan Chang (Laos).
The legends state that after remaining in Pataliputra for three hundred years, it was taken to Sri Lanka to save it from a civil war. A version of the legend stated that in 457, King Anuruth of Burma sent a mission to Ceylon to ask for Buddhist scriptures and the Emerald Buddha, in order to support Buddhism in his country. These requests were granted, but the ship lost its way in a storm during the return voyage and landed in Cambodia. When the Thais captured Angkor Wat in 1432 (following the ravage of the bubonic plague), the Emerald Buddha was taken to Ayutthaya, Kamphaeng Phet, Laos and finally Chiang Rai, where the ruler of the city hid it until it was found in 1434.[2]