Directions: Wat Chedi Luang is on Prapokklao Road which runs roughly through the north-south center line of the old city, from Changpuak Gate to Chaing Mai Gate. The temple is just a short walk south of the intersection with the main east-west Ratchadamnoen Road.

Opening Hours: Daily from 9.00 am - 5.00 pm

Admission Fee: free

Phone: +66 53 24 8604

Information:

Wat Chedi Luang (a.k.a. Jedi Luang) was built in 1391 during the reign of King Saen Muang Ma, 8th ruler of the Mengrai dynasty. He intended the structure to house the ashes of his father, Ku Na. Appropriately, the site was designated as a 'ku luang' instead of a chedi since it was not intended to house relics of the Buddha.

The massive reliquary was expanded over the centuries, until it reached its final form in 1475, when King Tilokaraj made it the home of the Emerald Buddha, the most important cultural treasure in Thailand. At one point the reliquary--which had come to be known as a chedi--was 144 feet wide and 282 feet tall. Unfortunately, the pagoda was heavily damaged in the 1545 earthquake during the reign of Queen Mahadevi. The Emerald Buddha remained here for about six years after the earthquake, whereupon it was brought to Luang Prabang (in today's Laos) by King Setthathirat, who ruled Chiang Mai for a short period in the years following the earthquake.

The viharn, or worship hall, is a much newer structure decorated with naga (water snake) and peacock motifs.

According to Roy Hudson, visitors entering this temple should take note of the massive tree to the left of the entrance. Legend says that if this tree should ever fall, a great catastrophe will occur. A small building near the tree enshrines the "Spirit of the City" (Sao Intakin) that was moved from its original site in 1775.

Directions: Wat Chiang Man is on Ratchaphakhinai Road near where it intersects Sri Phum Road, which runs just inside the moat along the north wall of the old city. The closest "landmark" to Wat Chiang Man is the Thai Airways office on Phrapokklao Road. Walk down the small street next to the office and turn left at the next main street. The temple will be on your left.

Opening Hours: Daily from 8.00 am to 5.00 pm

Admission Fee: 80 Thb.

Phone:  +66 53 24 8604

Information:

This temple was built in 1297 at the site of the camp King Mangrai used when he supervised the building of Chiang Mai. It was the first temple to be built in Chiang Mai and contains several very old artifacts. The oldest structure is the Chang Lom chedi, which is in a style that could have originated from Sri Lanka via Sukhothai, or from Pagan. Fifteen elephants represent a sea of unformed matter upon which the cosmos of the chedi floats.

Nearby are a lotus pond, a raised scripture repository and an ubosot. The stela in front of the ubosot was inscribed in 1581, and is one of the oldest known records that establishes the founding date of Chiang Mai.

The temple has two Lanna style viharn. The larger viharn was renovated by Khru Ba Srivichai in the 1920's. The standing Buddha image (front right of the altar) has an inscription on its slightly lopsided square base that dates it to 1465. This makes it the oldest dated Buddha image to be found so far in Chiang Mai. Close study shows new gilt veneer covers pits and cracks that indicate the image's real age.

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Directions:

Opening Hours: Daily from 8.00 am to 5.00 pm

Admission Fee: unknown

Phone: unknown

Information:

The temple appears to date from the earliest period of Chiang Mai. It was the custom for the kings of Chiang Mai to spend some time here before being crowned.

The temple was one of the few maintained by the Burmese during their 200 year occupation of Chiang Mai, and most of the structures seen in the temple today date from the Burmese period. The temple was undergoing reconstruction in mid 2004 to restore some of its former glory.

Directions: The temple is situated on the superhighway off Huay Kaew Road, near the Chiang Mai National Museum.

Opening Hours: Daily from 9.00 am - 4.00 pm

Admission Fee: 30 Thb.

Phone:  unknown

Information:

Jed Yod means Seven Spires - a reference to the Wat's Chedi of unusual shape - a Chedi with seven spires. The Wat lies in the outskirts of the city, in northwesterly direction from the center. The seven-spired Chedi is suppost to be a copy of a former Pagoda at Bagan, Myanmar.