Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [225]
Wat Phra Singh’s main chedi displays classic Lanna style with its octagonal base. It was built by King Pa Yo in 1345 in honour of his father. Closer to the entrance is the main wí·hhn, which houses a bigger but less important Buddha known as Thong Thip. This temple has royal associations, indicated by the garuda (the royal symbol) displayed on the front of the main wí·hhn.
Near the entrance is a small scripture library sitting atop a raised platform beautifully ornamented with Lanna-style features, including glass mosaics decorating the gables, ornate woodcarving details and sonorous bells attached to the eaves.
WAT CHEDI LUANG
Another venerable stop on the temple trail, Wat Chedi Luang (Map; 0 5327 8595; Th Phra Pokklao; donations appreciated) is built around a partially ruined Lanna-style chedi dating from 1441 that was believed to be one of the tallest structures in ancient Chiang Mai. Stories say it was damaged by either a 16th-century earthquake or by the cannon fire of King Taksin in 1775 during the recapture of Chiang Mai from the Burmese. The famed Phra Kaew (Emerald Buddha), now held in Bangkok’s Wat Phra Kaew (Click here), sat in the eastern niche here in 1475. Today there is a jade replica sitting in its place, financed by the Thai king and carved in 1995 to celebrate the 600th anniversary of the chedi (according to some reckonings), and the 700th anniversary of the city.
A restoration of the chedi was financed by Unesco and the Japanese government. Despite their good intentions, the restoration work is easily spotted: new porticoes and naga (mythical serpent) guardians and new Buddha images in three of the four directional niches. On the southern side of the monument, five elephant sculptures in the pediment can be seen. Four are cement restorations; only the one on the far right – without ears and trunk – is original brick and stucco. The restoration efforts also stopped short of creating a new spire, since no one knows for sure how the original superstructure looked.
Wat Chedi Luang’s other prominent attraction is the làk meu·ang (city pillar, believed to house the city’s guardian deity) enshrined in a small building to the left of the compound’s main entrance. In May the building is opened to the public for merit-making. It is believed that Chiang Mai’s liberator, Chao Kawila, brought the city pillar here in the hopes of future protection (mainly from the Burmese). The nearby trees were considered good luck symbols for the safety of the city as long as they were never cut down.
In the main wí·hhn is the standing Buddha, known as Phra Chao Attarot, flanked by two disciples both renowned for meditation and mysticism.
In the far rear of the grounds are two new chapels, built within the last decade in neo-Lanna style with pretty gold stencilling and thick wooden columns. Such new displays of wealth are unusual in historic temples like this. The first chapel contains a wax statue of Ajahn Mun Bhooretao, a former abbot of Wat Chedi Luang and one of the founders of the Thai forest tradition of meditation. The chapel next door is made of rosewood and teak and contains glass-enclosed relics as well as a wax figure of Luang Ta Maha Bua, who collected donations to buy gold reserves for the national bank during the Asian currency crisis of 1997 and was a disciple of Ajahn Mun Bhooretao.
Have a chat to the monks while you are here (see boxed text, Click here).
WAT PHAN TAO
Near Wat Chedi Luang, Wat Phan Tao (Map; 0 5381 4689; Th Phra Pokklao; donations appreciated) contains a beautiful old teak wí·hhn that was once a royal residence and is today one of the unsung treasures of Chiang Mai. Constructed entirely of moulded teak panels fitted together and supported by 28 gargantuan teak pillars, the wí·hhn features naga bargeboards inset with coloured mirror mosaic. On display inside are old temple bells, some ceramics, a few old northern-style gilded wooden Buddhas, and antique cabinets stacked