Day 089 of Our Winter: Today, Jay's younger sister was still recovering from the flu. We ducked out and purchased some cough syrup as soon as a close pharmacy opened. Jay's other sister stayed to take care of her today. Jay and I walked out to the Wat Phra Singh. It is one of the major temples in the old town of Chiang Mai.
The Phra Singh Buddha (or Phra Buddha Sihing) is the central figure of a 700-year-old mystery that spans from India and Sri Lanka to the northern reaches of Thailand. Since you’re exploring the "Lion Buddha" temple, here is the deep intelligence on why this small statue is such a big deal.
The "Sinhala" Mystery
The name "Sihing" is derived from Sinhala, a direct nod to Sri Lanka.
The Legend: Local tradition claims the statue was cast in Sri Lanka around 157 AD and sent to the King of Sukhothai in the 13th century. Legend has it the ship carrying it sank, but the statue floated on a wooden plank until it reached Nakhon Si Thammarat in southern Thailand.
The Reality Check: Art historians note the statue looks remarkably Lanna (Northern Thai), with very few Sri Lankan features. It’s more likely a 14th-century Thai masterpiece influenced by the Pala style from India, rather than a physical export from Sri Lanka. There are also two other locations in Thailand that claim ownership of the 'floating' Buddha from Sri Lanka.
Regardless of the origins of that particular statue, the temple is large and important. We walked from the hotel after having breakfast. However, by 11:30 am this sun had commenced its work. The nights are a cool 16C in this city but the daytime temperature today was 30C. We got a Grab rideshare car rather than walking, most of the way across the old city, to our hotel.
Later Jay and I had lunch again at the Dada Kafe and brought back some spicey Tom Yum soup for Renuka's sore throat.
When it was close to sunset, we walked around the outside of the moat to an entrance into the old town called, the Chiang Mai Gate. It was interesting as locals and the 'digital nomads' go here to find very cheap street food.
When returning, we took roads in the old town and stopped for some Indian-inspired nan and chapati with a spicy chicken curry.