Wat Chiang Man, Chiang Mai
Wat Chiang Man is Chiang Mai's oldest temple, known for its elephant-supported chedi and centuries-old sacred Buddha images.
Wat Chiang Man, Chiang Mai
Wat Chiang Man is the first temple built in Chiang Mai, founded in 1296 by King Mangrai, who used the site as his residence while the new city was under construction. It stands in the north-east corner of the walled square, on a quiet street away from the main run of visitors.
Its best-known feature is the Chang Lom chedi - a gilded bell on a square base ringed by fifteen life-size brick elephants emerging from the wall, a Lanna form that appears here in its clearest surviving example. The main hall holds two small and very old Buddha images: a crystal figure and a stone relief, both brought out for the Songkran procession.
An inscription stone from 1581 in the compound records the founding date of the city, which is why Chiang Mai can be dated as precisely as it is.
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