As the Emerald Buddha is very old in age, nobody knows exactly where it came from. Some say it was brought from Ceylon about 2,000 years ago by the first Buddhist missionaries from that country. Others believe it was made by a Thai sculptor living in northern Thailand.
Anyway, the effigy was first discovered in Chiang Rai in 1464 after the temple housing it had been struck by lightning. It was later taken to Luang Prabang and then moved to Vientiane, both located in today's Laos. It was not until 1778 that it was brought back to Thailand by Chao Phraya Chakri who later became King Rama I