Wat Ban Den

“You want a purple chicken? They’ve got a purple chicken. Mosaic tiled dragon? Look to your left. Giant Buddha? Here’s your giant Buddha. Reclining in gold? Got that too. It was visual stimulation multiplied by a thousand. Ceci lasted twenty minutes before she joined Mister A back at the van. Kez and I kept exploring.

What makes Wat Ban Den particularly famous is the twelve chedis (pagodas) representing the twelve animals of the zodiac. They were commissioned by the abbot Kru Ba Tuang in the late 80’s when he was given oversight of the wat. 

At that time, Wat Ban Den was in bad shape. The abbot was well-respected and able to quickly raise millions to renovate the entrance gateway and the main virhan but once those were done and the money continued to flow, the abbot decided to get his fancy on.  

All around the wat, locals were undertaking long pilgrimages to temples representing their animal zodiac signs. This was a required journey, to ensure that when they died, their spirits would have a “forever home”.

The abbot saw an opportunity. Since most of the zodiac temples were far from Chiang Mai, the abbot commissioned twelve chedis to be built, each one representing a zodiac animal. Now, locals could fulfill their spiritual pilgrimage closer to home. And of course, that meant their money, their “dana” -  offerings to practice generosity - would stay local too. It was a savvy move. 

More money flowed so the abbot continued to build as bus loads of tourists showed up for the life-sized sculptures of mythical creatures and deities, to ooh-and-ah over the intricate and remarkable craftsmanship of Thai artisans. The abbot never required an entrance fee - but he made sure there were easily visible donation boxes in every temple. 

Forty years later, they’re still there.”