Wat Chiang Man Chiang Mai

Wat Chiang Man in Chiang Mai City

Wat Chiang Man

This ''Monastery of the Fortified City” is the oldest temple in Chiang Mai, constructed by King Mangrai in 1297, just one year after the founding of Chiang Mai. A stone inscription in front of the bot and dated 1581, confirms the founding date of Chiang Mai.

Wat Chiang Man in Chiang Mai City

The temple buildings include a Chedi, two viharns, a 19th century bot and a ho trai raised up on a brick base.
The Chedi is a mixture of Lan Na and Sinhalese styles, and consists of a high square base with fifteen life-size elephants on its sides, a gilded middle octagonal section and bell.
There are two Lan Na style viharns. The larger one was restored in the 1920’s and features on its facade beautiful carved gilded openwork floral and animal designs, some reflected by colored mirrors.
Next to the altar, there is a standing Buddha cast in 1465, making it the oldest Buddha image of the city. The smaller viharn also contains two Buddha images. One is a diminutive crystal Buddha known as the Phra Sae Tang Khamani believed to have powers to protect against disaster.
The other known as the Phra Sila is a base-relief 8th century Buddha believed to have powers to bring rain. Both are very revered Buddha images.