Wat Saen Thong

Two Buddha images, not the building, are the reason to stop at Wat Saen Thong, standing in the old walled centre of Mae Sariang town. Entry is free.

The temple’s name comes from Phra Saen Thong, a bronze Buddha image cast in the Chiang Saen style, seated in the Mara Vijaya pose — subduing Mara — and rated among the oldest and most accomplished images in the district. But the temple’s older claim to significance is Phra Phet, recorded as the first Buddha image made for Mueang Yuam Tai, the old name for this town before it became Mae Sariang. Phra Phet is a gold-alloy image set with three diamonds that catch the light, and it functions as the guardian image for the town and district as a whole. The temple itself was originally known as Wat Loom, standing inside what was then the settlement’s defensive walls, before it took on the Saen Thong name associated with its bronze image.

That guardian role isn’t just history — it’s active. Every Songkran, Phra Phet is carried through Mae Sariang’s streets in a lustral-water procession alongside roughly twenty other Buddha images gathered from temples across the district, with residents and local officials pouring water over the images as they pass. It’s one of the more distinctive Songkran traditions in Mae Hong Son province, built directly around this temple’s founding image rather than a generic water fight.

Wat Saen Thong sits within a short walk of Mae Sariang’s other notable temples, including Wat Chong Sung and Wat Si Bunrueang, both known for their Shan (Tai Yai) and Burmese-influenced architecture — the three make an easy walking loop through the old town centre.

Insider Tip: If you’re in Mae Sariang around Songkran (13-15 April), ask locally about the Phra Phet procession route — seeing the town’s founding Buddha image carried through the streets is a far more specific experience than the general water-throwing most visitors expect from the festival.

Watch out: Don’t confuse this with Wat Saen Fang in Chiang Mai city, roughly 190 km away — a similar-sounding but entirely separate temple with its own unrelated history.

Dress modestly, shoulders and knees covered, and remove your shoes before entering the main hall. A small donation toward the temple’s upkeep is welcomed but not asked for.