Sunday, January 23, 2022
Return to Wat Chedi Luang and Dinner with Poppy

Wat Chedi Luang

I have written much about Wat Chedi Luang in past posts. This is my favorite temple in Chiang Mai, and where I sit for my morning meditation almost every morning of every visit to Chiang Mai.

Wat Chedi Luang is on every map and every guidebook of Chiang Mai. “Chedi” means pagoda, and “Luang” means “really big” or “royal”, so Wat Chedi Luang is the temple with the really big chedi. In about 1390, King Saen Muang Ma started construction of the temple and the chedi in which to hold the ashes of his father. The chedi was not completed until 1475, almost 85 years after construction began. For more than 500 years, the chedi was the tallest structure in the region and could be seen for miles around. For many, many years, the chedi at Wat Chedi Luang housed the famous Emerald Buddha. The Emerald Buddha was moved after the earthquake in 1545, and is now at Wat Phra Kaew in Bangkok at the Grand Palace (the Emerald Buddha is so named for its color – it is not a large emerald stone).

Foreigners enter the temple grounds through this new (three years old), ornate entrance (and pay 30 THB, about $1). Due to the reduced tourism because of the pandemic and the renovation of the large viharn (assembly or worship hall), the foreigner entrance has been closed and there is no charge to enter the temple grounds.

Phra Viharn Luang

After entering the temple grounds, one can see the main viharn (assembly or worship hall). This viharn, known as the Phra Viharn Luang, currently under renovation, has been rebuilt several times, and houses the much revered Phra Chao Attorat standing Buddha. The current viharn structure dates to 1929, and sits on the original viharn site dating to 1411, built by the Queen Mother of King Sam Fang Kaen who also cast the standing Buddha image.

The viharn is closed for renovation, and inside is the large standing Buddha image, the Phra Chat Attarat, that was cast in bronze in the 14th century. The name translates to “eighteen-cubit Buddha” and as the name implies, it is large. Here is a photo I made during my last visit to Chiang Mai:

The image is certainly impressive, almost imposing, being nine meters high (30 feet) and in the posture known as “persuading the relatives not to quarrel” or “Giving Pardon”. The Buddha is flanked by statues of two of his eminent disciples: Moggallana and Sariputta. 

Over to the left of the viharn is the shrine for the city pillar, called the Inthakin, which was moved to this relatively new structure in the year 1800. At the same time as the Inthakin pillar was moved to Wat Chedi Luang, a yang tree (gum tree) was planted. This very large tree is said to watch over the city. Local folklore says that as long as the tree stands Chiang Mai will survive and prosper.

Phra That Chedi Luang

As was mentioned earlier, the chedi at Wat Chedi Luang was built by King Saen Muang Ma who was ruler of the Lanna Kingdom to house the ashes of his father. Construction started in 1391 and was completed in 1475 during the reign of King Tilokarat (who also build Wat Jed Yod). King Tilokarat also enlarged the chedi to make it the largest structure in all of Lanna. In 1545, a large earthquake shook northern Thailand and the upper 30 meters of the 80 meter high chedi collapsed. There are no records of what the top looked like before the earthquake, and to restore it improperly would bring it great dishonor, so the damaged chedi is left as it is. Some restorations have been done to the lower parts of the structure over time. Here is a view of the large chedi from where I sit for my morning meditation:

Walking around the grounds, here is a view from the other side.

With that final tour around a very familiar and favorite Wat Chedi Luang, my visit to Chiang Mai for the winter of 2022 is almost complete. In 24 hours, a car will take me the the Chiang Mai airport to start the journey home.

Dinner with Poppy

Poppy is one of the three sisters who own the guest house “The 3-Sis” in which I stayed for seven of my eight winters in Chiang Mai. I know all three sisters and their parents having been a frequent guest. Before the high season of 2019-2020, renovation of The 3-Sis was started so I could not stay there two years ago. During the pandemic, all construction was stopped, so the renovation is not yet complete. Ice is another of the sisters, and about six years ago, Ice and her husband Ball opened See You Soon, the guest house/restaurant/shop in which I am staying now. I often see Poppy at See You Soon near the end of the day talking with Ice. The two are businesswomen, and have a few joint projects ongoing. Poppy invited me for dinner. She picked me up at 5:30 and we drove to a Chinese restaurant on the Mae Ping River near Wat Kate Karam, across from the flower market. I did not get a picture of the restaurant or of Poppy, but I did get a photo of the food.

After dinner, I started packing everything in preparation for the journey home tomorrow. Thus ended my last full day in Chiang Mai for this visit. Tomorrow, I’ll have breakfast, finish packing, and meet John for a last coffee and maybe lunch before I fly to Bangkok and start the journey home.

Next: Traveling home