Wat Phra Non is a small temple situated at the base of Doi Kong Mu. The name beyond doubt means the Temple of the Reclining Buddha. Therefore, it should not come as surprise when you see the reclining Buddha image house inside the temple.
The temple was made-to-order by Rama V in 1877 and determined to be more "lifelike" than most other temples. Initially the temple was suppose to be the final resting place of the king and the construction began in 1875. However, later it was changed to a temple.
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The reclining Buddha is housed in a large wiharn. The open front of the wiharn faces the street. Right next to the reclining Buddha image is room that used as a museum. This museum was opened rather recently, in 1990. In the museum, you can find statues, religious books, old ceramics and some items dating back to when Thailand was occupied by the Japanese during the World War Ii.
Just next to the wiharn is a small graveyard where four cenotaphs are present. The cenotaphs house the ashes of the first four governors of the city. According to a rumor, the ashes of the first governor of the city are housed in one of the large chedis of Wat Doi Kong Mu but this cannot be endorsed.
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Just behind the wiharn are two stairways important to the side of Doi Kong Mu. Just at the beginning of the stairs there are two huge stone Shan lions. For most people the climb up the stairways is very exhausting and that is why mid-way there is a viewing platform which has a standing Buddha on it. This Buddha image looks over the city. For those who do not want to climb up to Doi Kong Mu, there is a road to drive up.
Next to the stairways are any small monuments worth spending time over. There is also a small wooden shrine that has a small altar and right next to the wiharn is a large platform on which is an image of a seated Buddha. This image is in a small quadrilateral chedi.
Wat Phra Non of Thailand
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