Wat Ban Den

Wat Ban Den, also known as Wat Den Salee Sri Muang Gan, is a Buddhist temple in Inthakhin Subdistrict, Mae Taeng District, Chiang Mai Province, Thailand. Located about 30 km north of Chiang Mai city, it is noted for its extensive Lanna-style architecture with vivid blue roofs, ornate naga sculptures, and twelve zodiac pagodas. Rebuilt and expanded from an older abandoned temple, it has become a prominent cultural and photographic attraction in northern Thailand.

Visitors can expect a large, active Buddhist temple complex set in open grounds north of Chiang Mai city. The site features multiple ornate halls, chapels and pagodas built in Lanna style with deep blue tiled roofs, gilded carvings, naga staircases and guardian statues. The grounds include twelve pagodas representing the Chinese zodiac, landscaped gardens, and courtyards connecting the main ubosot, viharn and museum hall. Visitors can walk between buildings, view Buddha images and murals, and observe merit-making activities.

The site was originally an old, abandoned temple known as Wat Ban Den. Restoration and major expansion began in 1988 under the revered monk Kruba Tuang, with continued construction of new halls, pagodas and religious structures in traditional Lanna style, transforming it into a major temple complex in Mae Taeng District.

Wat Ban Den is an active Theravada Buddhist temple significant for its preservation and promotion of Lanna art and architecture. It serves as a religious center for merit-making and Buddhist ceremonies and is noted for its twelve zodiac pagodas, which reflect the integration of local beliefs about birth-year guardians within Thai Buddhist culture.