Chiang Mai in North Thailand is famous for its hundreds of Buddhist temples. One of the largest and the most popular with foreign visitors is Wat Chedi Luang in Chiang Mai's old city. Its old chedi (a tower that contains sacred relics) dates back to the 15th century.
The Old Chedi
The construction of the wat (wat is the Thai word for a temple and a monastery) began in the late 14th century during the reign of King Saen Muang Ma of the Mengrai Dynasty. The building work was continued over several decades. The chedi once housed the famous Emerald Buddha statue that is now kept in Bangkok's Wat Phra Kaew.
A part of the original chedi collapsed in an earthquake in 1545. Parts of the wat, including parts of the chedi, were restored in the 1990s. The brick chedi has four sides. A stairway leads up each side towards the top part where Buddha statues look over the temple grounds.
Several viharns (assembly halls where important Buddha images are kept) have been built around the old chedi. The largest viharn in front of the chedi was completed in 1928. The viharn is home to a large statue of a standing Buddha, Phra Chao Attarot. Another interesting viharn behind the brick chedi contains a reclining Buddha statue. Next to the reclining Buddha you can see a statue of Tan Pra Maha Kajjana, who was once a beautiful monk but changed himself into an ugly one so his beauty would not cause problems to others.
The Monk Chat Club
The temple is open daily and it is generally busy with both local visitors and tourists. Foreign tourists can join the Monk Chat Club that provides an opportunity for foreigners to ask questions from Buddhist monks. The monks speak English and are happy to answer questions about Buddhism.
Visitors to the temple should follow a few simple rules. Appropriate dress when visiting a Buddhist temple means no shorts or short skirts, no tank tops and no revealing clothes in general. Shoes should be left outside when entering the viharn. Remember that the wat is a place of prayer and contemplation, not just a tourist attraction.
Next to Wat Chedi Luang is a smaller temple, Wat Phan Tao. It has a beautiful wooden viharn with a sitting Buddha statue, and it is surrounded by a pretty garden with a little waterfall in the back amongst colourful orchids.
