Chiang Mai Old Town

Chiang Mai became the capital of the Lanna kingdom in 1292.  During the reigns of King Mengrai and King Tilok, many wats were built in the city; there are now about 300 of these temples found throughout the city.  Our first stop was Wat Chedi Luang, which means "the temple of the great chedi".

Twin nagas (sacred serpents) stand watch at the door to the wihan (hall).

The temple was quite busy today.  It was supposed to be a local holy day, but I couldn't figure out what it was specifically.

The focal structure of this wat is the Great Chedi.  It was originally 270 feet high and for a time the Emerald Buddha was kept there.  But in 1545 an earthquake destroyed 1/3 of the structure.

It is decorated with elephants (chang) around the base and nagas at the foot of the four stairways.

Each of the four sides has a niche containing a golden statue of the Buddha.

A nearby chapel contained a smaller reclining Buddha.

Other scenes from around the wat:

Within the wat complex is a religious university attended by both Buddhist monks and laypeople alike.  A patio area was dedicated to a daily activity called "Monk Chat".  Some of the monks are available to chat with visitors and answer questions about Buddhism, life as a monk, or anything in general.  We sat down with a monk from Cambodia who gave his name as "A".  He has been a monk since the age of 18 and was taking a Philosophy course.  He said he spends most of his day in meditation, chanting, and "chatting".  His English was very good, but explaining complicated Buddhist concepts to a bunch of foreigners must be very difficult!

We then left Wat Chedi Luang and walked through the Old City to another nearby temple, Wat Phra Sing.  It is the largest temple in Chiang Mai.  The Wihan Luang (Great Hall) is very large and houses an equally large Buddha statue inside.

Inside, along one of the aisles, a monk in orange robes was chanting blessings over the faithful.

A large prayer bell beside the wihan.

Another wihan, the Wihan Lai Kham (Gilded Hall), is one of the most visited areas of the temple complex.  It contains the Phra Buddha Singh (Lion Buddha), a very important Buddha image.

Wihan Lai Kham with small chedi

The Lion Buddha originated in Sri Lanka, and is revered in Chiang Mai.  Every year, the statue is carried through the streets of the city for the Songkran festival.

The rest of the temple complex was very lovely.

But we were getting hungry and a little "templed out", so we walked around a little to find some tasty Thai food.  Some signs we saw on the way:

After lunch we walked around a bit more.  The Old City of Chiang Mai is square shaped, with walls and a moat marking its borders.  The walls and gates are old and were dismantled over time.  But the Tha Phae gate has been reconstructed based on old photographs and drawings.

This is a view of the moat and a corner of the city wall that has been preserved.