Wat Phra Kaew Don Tao in Lampang was built by order of King Anantayot and between 1436 and 1468 it housed the Emerald Buddha.

According to legend, a senior monk of the temple one day found an emerald stone in a watermelon, which he had carved into a precious Buddha image. This statue on a small roundabout in front of the temple refers to this myth (fig.).

The temple architecture is a mixture of styles and influences from Haripunchai, Burma and modern Thailand, with images and art in Mandalay and Lan Na styles, among others.

The temple also has a building known as Wihaan Phra Phuttha Sayait that is home to an ancient reclining Buddha statue believed to date to the 7th century, when the temple was first built.