10 January 2018
There are many Buddhist temples or wat within the 4 square kilometers area of the moat surrounded, walled ancient city of Chiang Mai. Our itinerary included some free time to explore the ancient city and visiting at least one of its historic temples is a must. If there is one temple that stands out above all the rest, it has to be Wat Chedi Luang.
Wat Chedi Luang, in the heart of Chiang Mai’s old city.
Located almost in the center, it is easy to walk to Wat Chedi Luang from any hotels within the old city. And that was what we did.
Our hotel in Chiang Mai is the Hotel De Nara, located in the south eastern corner of the “square”, which is the nickname I used to describe the square shaped old city to my travelling companions when viewed in google maps.
The best time to visit Wat Chedi Luang is in the morning when it is cooler. It took us about 10 minutes of walking along quiet streets lined with graffiti-decorated side lanes, shops, cafes, restaurants and massage parlours to get to the temple.
Many side lanes in the ancient city have interesting graffiti.
Tree with faked mangoes opposite the entrance to the temple. My travelling companion took this photo thinking that the king-size mangoes were real!
There is an entrance fee of 40 THB/adult. This is one of the few temples that charges for admission.
Entering the temple, the first thing that caught my attention was a gigantic tree.
Giant Dipterocarp tree in Wat Chedi Luang.
This tree is sacred to the Thais. Legend has is that a great catastrophe will occur if the giant tree should ever fall.
Next to the tall tree is a white building containing the Inthakin or “City Pillar".
White building containing the Inthakin or “City Pillar" that women is forbidden to enter.
Women are not allowed to enter the sacred white building containing the city pillar that is enshrined underground.
A sign in red reads:
“Chiang Mai’s city pillar is located in Wat Chedi Luang and is now enshrined underground. It is a sacred place and worshipped by Thais people, especially those from Chiang Mai. It is the pillar of the city. Women are prohibited to enter because they menstruate. It is believed that it humiliates and ruins the sanctity of the city pillar. Besides, men who dress inappropriately are not allowed to walk in. It is believed that any disobeying of the rules will cause social instability”.
Inside the white building with the Inthakin or “City Pillar" .
Elaborate golden facade of the shrine hall near the entrance to temple complex.
There is a shrine hall with beautiful golden facade. We did not enter this building. Our mistake. I later found out that the insides of this shrine hall is very impressive.
Wat Chedi Luang is also known as the “The temple of the Great Stupa”. The great stupa at the middle of the temple complex used to be the tallest structure in the old city. Construction began in 1391 and was completed in 1475. It was enhanced and rebuilt several times over the centuries. Initially built to contain ashes of kings, it also contained relics of Buddha.
The chedi used to be at least 86 meters tall but not any more. In 1545, a massive earthquake destroyed part of the top of the chedi, leaving only the northern part of the chedi and the base intact.
Unrestored Naga guarding the sides of the steep staircase one side of the chedi showing the brickworks that made up the structure.
All four sides of the base contain steep staircases, flanked by the mythical Naga or serpent.
Some the Nagas and stairs had been restored but some were still in the original damaged conditions. One side has steps on the staircase. The rest were smooth like a slide, with no steps.
At the top of the stairs are niches, where Buddha images are enshrined. The famous Emerald Buddha used to be enshrined in the eastern niche before being moved to its present location (Emerald Buddha Temple) in Bangkok.
Restored 5 headed Naga.
Stone elephants emerging from the chedi at one side of the base. The rest on other sides were damaged and no longer present.
Next to the great chedi is a building with Buddha figures in various poses, including a large reclining Buddha.
One of the things to do at Wat Chedi Luang is to ring the bell and make a small donation at the stupa model that represents the zodiac animal of your birthdate.
Another shrine hall in the Wat Chedi Luang complex.
Next to Wat Chedi Luang is another temple called Wat Phan Tao that is worth a visit. Entrance to Wat Phan Tao is free.
Wat Phan Tao. This Lanna-style ordination hall entirely made of teakwood used to be a throne hall of a king.
Inside of Wat Phan Tao with gold image of Buddha. The prayer hall is made from dark teak wood, colourful mosaic floor.
Alms bowls at Wat Phan Tao
With more time, we could have included a short visit to Wat Phra Singh, another prominent and attractive temple within the old city that is about 10 minutes walk from Wat Chedi Luang.
We gave Wat Phra Singh a miss on this day as we had to check out from Hotel De Nara and move to our next hotel in Chiang Mai, the Movenpick Suriwongse Hotel. The Suriwongse Hotel is ideally located next to the intersection of Chang Khlan Road and Loi Kroh Road which is right smack in the center of Chiang Mai’s famous Night Bazaar. The night bazaar opens daily.
After a morning of exploring the Old City and shifting hotels, it was time for some soothing massages (a must when visiting Thailand!) in the afternoon.
We went to the Fah Lanna Massage along Loi Kroh Road, which is a short walk from our new hotel. This massage place is very popular but small. Advanced reservations are highly recommended. The massage was quite good and inexpensive so we went back there again a few days later.
After two hours of pampering at Fah Lanna Massage, we pampered ourselves further with delicious seafood dinner at the Anusarn Market and street shopping along Chiang Mai’s Night Bazaar.
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