This temple is named for the 20 (sow in Northern Thai) whitewashed Lanna-style chedi (stupas) on its grounds. But the wát’s real treasure is a solid-gold, 15th-century seated Buddha on display in a glassed-in pavilion, built over a square pond. The wát is located about 6km north of town, via Th Phra Kaew; a round-trip motorcycle taxi here should cost about 60B.
The Buddha image is said to contain a piece of the Buddha’s skull in its head and an ancient Pali-inscribed golden palm leaf in its chest; precious stones decorate the image’s hairline and robe. A farmer reportedly found the figure next to the ruins of nearby Wat Khu Kao in 1983. Monks stationed at Wat Chedi Sao make and sell herbal medicines; the popular yah·mòrng is similar to Tiger balm.
