Wat Dok Kham () is a Buddhist temple in Si Phum, Mueang Chiang Mai district, Chiang Mai province, Thailand, located on Mun Mueang Road near Tha Phae Gate. It is traditionally dated to 1783, during the reign of Kawila, and has a Lanna-style vihara and chedi.
History
Wat Dok Kham is believed to have been built in 1783, during the reign of Kawila, the ruler of Chiang Mai. An inscription on the base of a Buddha image in the vihara is given as the source for the date.
According to a description of the temple, people from Mueang Ban and Mueang Tongkai were brought to Chiang Mai during Kawila's expansion of the city. They formed a community and later built Wat Dok Kham as a community temple. The temple was formerly known as Wat Chang Tho Kham (). The name was changed to Wat Dok Kham so that it would have a similar name to nearby temples, including Wat Dok Euang, Wat Dok Ngoen and Wat Dok Kaeo.
Architecture
The temple has a Lanna-style vihara built of brick and plaster. The gable has stucco decorations showing plants, a deer with a Dharma wheel, naga figures, a Kinnara-like bird known as nok karawik, and the twelve animals of the Thai zodiac.
Inside the vihara are five gilded Buddha images in the Bhumisparsha mudra. The rear wall has paintings with gold on a red background. A sattaphan, or candle stand, in front of the principal Buddha images is carved with figures of deities, Rahu, and nagas. The vihara also contains an old tripitaka chest and a carved preaching seat. Paintings on the side walls depict stories from the Ten Birth Tales.
A chedi stands behind the vihara. It is described as a Lanna-style chedi on a square base, with an upper section made of three levels and an octagonal malai thao element below the bell-shaped section.
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