Chiang Mai is rightly famous for its many ancient temples, some of which date from the late 13th century. It is the best place to spend some time examining these places of worship.
A) Wat Phra That Doi Suthep - is situated on the peak of Suthep Mountain. It was built in 1383 and is one of the best temples in all of Chiang Mai.
B) Wat U Mong - is located off of Suthep Road and is one of the favorite temples in Chiang Mai. It was established in the 14th century during King Mengrai's rule. Check out the old brick-lined tunnels.
C) Wat Phra Singh - Located at the end of Phra Singh Road in the western center of the old city. This temple was built by King Pha Yoo in 1345. It has the classic northern-Thai style architecture. This large temple houses the highly revered yet controversial Phra Singh Buddha. Experts are not agreed whether this is the 'true' image, and identical statues can be found elsewhere in Thailand. Nevertheless, it is a very impressive statue, and the epicenter of the Water festival in mid-April. The large main chapel is particularly serene when not full of tour groups.
D) Wat Chiang Man - Located in the northeast corner of the old city (within the moat) this is the oldest temple in Chiang Mai. Built in 1296, by King Mangrai, Wat Chiang Man originally served as his home but is now inhabited solely by monks. The main chapel features classic Thai architecture with huge ornately decorated teak columns holding the roof up. Although the main chapel contains an impressive Buddha image, the true 'prizes' of this temple are contained within the smaller chapel to the right. Two impressive Buddhas are stored behind glass in the center of this chapel. The larger of the two, Phra Sila (or stone Buddha) is a stone bas-relief which was imported from either India or Sri Lanka around 2,500 years ago! Its smaller counterpart, Phra Sae Tang Kamani (or crystal Buddha) stands to a height of only around ten cm and is thought to have originally come from Lopburi around 1,800 years ago.
E) Wat Chedi Luang - Located in the center of town on Phra Pokklao Road, this temple contains the ruins of what at one time must have been a huge pagoda. Partially collapsed (due to either earthquake or cannon fire) the pagoda was at one stage Chiang Mai's largest, and a definite impression of size can still be gained from seeing it today. Unfortunately, in attempting to restore the original structure the new Naga gates, in particular, look crass and overly modern. The Crystal Buddha has a very interesting history and, like many of the highly revered statues in the country, it has done more than its fair share of travelling. The story goes that there was a hermit named Phra Su-Tae-Wa who lived around 700 years after Buddha passed on. He was a disciple of Buddha's teachings and during a vivid dream, he met a god who told him that the King of Lawoh was busy building a Buddha image and that it needed to contain some relics of the Buddha. The hermit then ran off and organized to meet with the King where he successfully convinced the King to do just that. Once the statue was completed, it was believed that whoever conquered the town which possessed it could take it, as the losers did not deserve to retain it.
F) Wat Jed Yod - Located on the bypass highway nears Chiang Mai National Museum. Constructed during the rule of King Tilokaraja in 1455, the temple hosted the 8th World Buddhist Council meeting in 1477 to revise the scriptures of Theravada Buddhism. This temple was supposedly based on the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodhgaya, India, although those who have seen the 'original' may be a little nonplussed by some of the interpretations.
G) Wat Saun Dok - Constructed by King Kue Na in 1383, the main chapel in this compound contains a huge 500 year old bronze Buddha image which is surrounded by well preserved murals depicting Buddha's life. A variety of Buddhist amulets are sold within the grounds, around the chapel (which was built in 1932). The whole complex was originally built as a garden for the Chiang Mai Royal Family while now it serves as their graveyard. The temple is on the west side of Suthep Road around one km north of the Suan Dok Gate.
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