Random Enquiry: Northern Thailand Adventure: Day 6 Chiang Mai's Must See Wats

Wat Chedi Luang

This is Chiang Mai's iconic wat and home also to the city-pillar. A city pillar is an important fixture in cities throughout the Mekong river delta states. The animistic civilisations in this area believed that the city pillar houses the city's guardian spirit. When Therevada Buddhism came, these animistic beliefs were not entirely replaced, they were instead merged into the new religious system.

The city pillar of Chiang Mai

The pavillion housing the Chiang Mai's city pillar

Wat Chedi Luang is the highest chedi in all of Chiang Mai, however it was destroyed by an earthquake sometime in the 16th century, it has never been reconstructed since then.

One of the guardian naga of the chedi

The viharn of Wat Chedi Luang

Standing Buddha image inside the vijarn of Wat Chedi Luang

200 year old tree, one of three trees planted to help the spirit of the city pillar guard Chiang Mai

Getting There and Attraction Information

Entrance Fee - 40B (for foreigners), free (for Thais)
Time allotment - 30-min (or longer if you want to chat with the monks)

Wat Phra Sing

The chedi in Wat Phra Singh

A few blocks from Wat Chedi Luang is another important wat, the Wat Phra Singh. One of the notable feature of this wat is the murals in the North oboset. They show various scenes from the Jataka and daily life in Lanna, both by nobles and ordinary folks.

Entrance into the vijarn of Wat Phra Singh

Murals inside the north oboset of Wat Phr Singh

Getting There and Attraction Information

Entrance Fee - FREE
Time allotment - 30-min

Wat Suan Dok

Outside and to the west of the walled city is Wat Suan Dok, the oldest temple in Chiang Mai, constructed in the 14th century before the founding of the city of Chiang Mai itself. The chedi of Wat Suan Dok houses the twin relic of the one in Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. Read the previous article here.