Wat Phra Kaew, or Temple of the Emerald Buddha, is Thailand's primary and most important temple.
There are a total of 40,717 Buddhist temples (Thai:Wat) in Thailand as of 31 December 2004, of which 33,902 are in current use, according to the Office of National Buddhism.[1] Of the 33,902 active temples, 31,890 are of the Maha Nikaya and 1,987 are of theDhammayuttika Nikaya orders of the Theravadaschool, while 12 are of the Chinese Nikaya and 13 are of the Anam Nikaya orders of the Mahayanaschool. Two hundred and seventy-two temples, 217 of the Maha Nikaya order and 55 of the Dhammayut order, hold the status of royal temple. Royal wisungkhamasima (Pali: visuṃ gāmasīmā), official recognition of a temple's legitimacy, has been granted to 20,281 temples. The following is a very partial list of Buddhist temples in Thailand: