Wat Chiang Man (I)
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Wat Chiang Man (,
Northern Thai Northern Thai (), also called Kam Mueang (, กำเมือง) or Lanna, is the language spoken by the Northern Thai people of Thailand. It is a Southwestern Tai language. The language has approximately six million speakers, most of whom ...
− sometimes also written as ''Wat Chiang Mun'') is a
Buddhist temple A Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery is the place of worship for Buddhism, Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called vihara, chaitya, stupa, wat, khurul and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in B ...
(Thai language: ''
Wat A wat (, ; , ; , ; ; , ) is a type of Buddhist and Hindu temple in Cambodia, Laos, East Shan State (Myanmar), Yunnan (China), the Southern Province of Sri Lanka, and Thailand. Etymology The word ''wat'' is borrowed from the Sanskrit ''v ...
'') inside the old city (which is contained within the
city walls A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications such as curtain walls with to ...
and
moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch dug around a castle, fortification, building, or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. Moats can be dry or filled with water. In some places, moats evolved into more extensive water d ...
) of
Chiang Mai Chiang Mai, sometimes written as Chiengmai or Chiangmai, is the largest city in northern Thailand, the capital of Chiang Mai province and the List of municipalities in Thailand#Largest cities by urban population, second largest city in Thailan ...
, in northern Thailand.


History

Wat Chiang Man was built by
Mangrai Mangrai (; ; c. 1238–1311) was the 25th king of Ngoenyang (r. 1261–1292) and the first king of Lanna (r. 1292–1311). He established a new city, Chiang Mai, as the capital of the Lanna Kingdom (1296–1558).Wyatt, D. K. Thailand, A Short Hi ...
in 1297 CE as the first temple of Chiang Mai on the location of Wiang Nopburi, a fortified town of the
Lawa people Lawa ( or ; ) are an ethnic group in northern Thailand. The Lawa language is related to the Blang language, Blang and the Wa language found in China and Myanmar (Burma), and belongs to the Palaungic languages, a branch of the Austroasiatic languag ...
which had been used by King Mangrai as a camp during the construction of his new capital city Chiang Mai.


Sights

*Chedi Chang Lom - the 'Elephant Chedi' is the oldest construction within the temple complex. The square base supports a second level which has the front half of 15 life-sized brick-and-stucco elephants emerging from it. The elephants seem to carry the upper levels of the building on their backs. The
gilded Gilding is a decorative technique for applying a very thin coating of gold over solid surfaces such as metal (most common), wood, porcelain, or stone. A gilded object is also described as "gilt". Where metal is gilded, the metal below was tradi ...
upper part of the chedi contains a bell shaped
relic In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains or personal effects of a saint or other person preserved for the purpose of veneration as a tangible memorial. Reli ...
chamber directly underneath the pinnacle. *Main Wihan - the larger of the two was renovated in the 1920s by the monk ''Khru Ba Srivichai''. The building houses a large structure for an
altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of worship. They are use ...
surrounded by
Buddha statue Much Buddhist art uses depictions of the historical Buddha, Gautama Buddha, which are known as () in Sanskrit and Pali. These may be statues or other images such as paintings. The main figure in an image may be someone else who has obtained B ...
s. One of the standing Buddha's has the year 1465 CE engraved on its base, which would make it the oldest statue of the
Lanna Kingdom The Lan Na kingdom or the Kingdom of Lanna (, , "Kingdom of a Million Rice Fields"; , , ), also known as Lannathai, was an Greater India#Indianization, Indianized state centered in present-day Northern Thailand from the 13th to the 18th centuri ...
. It is also the oldest statue of Thailand which shows the Buddha with an
alms Alms (, ) are money, food, or other material goods donated to people living in poverty. Providing alms is often considered an act of Charity (practice), charity. The act of providing alms is called almsgiving. Etymology The word ''alms'' come ...
bowl. The
façade A façade or facade (; ) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loanword from the French language, French (), which means "frontage" or "face". In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important asp ...
of the features gilded carvings of
Kirtimukha Kirtimukha (Sanskrit: कीर्तिमुख ,', also ', a bahuvrihi compound translating to "glorious face") is the name of a swallowing fierce face with huge fangs, and gaping mouth, very common in the iconography of Hindu temple architectu ...
in between flower and plant motives. *New Wihan - the smaller of the two houses two important statues of the Buddha which, due to their protective powers, are regarded as the '' Palladium statues'' of Chiang Mai: ** The Phra Sae Tang Khamani is also known as the 'Phra Kaew Khao' or 'Crystal Buddha'. This 10 cm tall statue is carved out of a clear
quartz Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica (silicon dioxide). The Atom, atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen Tetrahedral molecular geometry, tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tet ...
crystal. According to Oliver Hargreave, the statue was crafted around 200 CE for King Ramraj of
Lopburi Lopburi (, , ) is the capital city of Lopburi Province in Thailand. It is about northeast of Bangkok. It has a population of 58,000. The town ('' thesaban mueang'') covers the whole ''tambon'' Tha Hin and parts of Thale Chup Son of Muea ...
and brought to the Hariphunchai Kingdom (present day
Lamphun Lamphun (; , ) is a town ('' thesaban mueang'') in northern Thailand, capital of Lamphun Province. It covers the whole ''tambon'' Nai Mueang of Mueang Lamphun district. As of 2006 it has a population of 14,030. Lamphun lies north of Bangkok and ...
) by Queen
Jamadevi Camadevi (also spelled Jamadevi; IPA: ʃaːmaˈdeːʋiː Pali: Cāmadevī; , , Mon: စာမ္မာဒေဝဳ, ; 7th-century – 8th-century) was the first monarch and Queen of Hariphunchai (Pali: Haribhuñjaya), which was an ancient Kingdo ...
in 662 CE. It was only transferred to Chiang Mai by King Mangrai in 1296 after he had conquered Lamphun. As it survived the pillaging of that city, the statue is thought to protect against disasters. However, Carol StrattonCarol Stratton: Buddhist Sculpture of Northern Thailand dates the statue as having been created in the 15th century based on its style characteristics. The gold covered wooden base and golden
canopy Canopy may refer to: Plants * Canopy (biology), aboveground portion of plant community or crop (including forests) * Canopy (grape), aboveground portion of grapes Religion and ceremonies * Baldachin or canopy of state, typically placed over an a ...
are later additions donated by King
Inthawichayanon Inthawichayanon (; , , IAST: , ; , c. 1817 – 23 November 1897) was the 7th Ruler of Kingdom of Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai and King of Lan Na from 1870 until his death in 1897.Kasetsiri, C. (2022). ''Thailand: A Struggle for the Nation''. Singapore: ...
of Chiang Mai in 1874. Together they contain more than 6 kg of gold. **The Phra Sila statue is a stone
stele A stele ( ) or stela ( )The plural in English is sometimes stelai ( ) based on direct transliteration of the Greek, sometimes stelae or stelæ ( ) based on the inflection of Greek nouns in Latin, and sometimes anglicized to steles ( ) or stela ...
depicting a standing Buddha whilst taming the elephant 'Nalagiri' in
bas-relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...
. The temple states that the statue originated from India before being transferred to its present location. However, others believe the statue originated from
Ceylon Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
(present day
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
) and might date from either the 8th or 10th century CE depending on the source . Due to the religious belief that the statue has rain-giving powers, this statue features prominently in the
Songkran In many countries of South Asia and South East Asia, the traditional new year is calculated on the sun's entry into the constellation Aries as per the regional Hindu calendars or Buddhist calendars. The sun's entry into Aries is known as Sank ...
festival at the end of the dry season. *
Ubosot The ordination hall (Pali: ''sīmā'') is a Buddhist building specifically consecrated and designated for the performance of the Buddhist ordination ritual (''upasampadā'') and other ritual ceremonies, such as the recitation of the Pāṭimokkha. ...
- in front of the ubosot one can find a stone stele from the year 1581 CE. This stele contains the oldest mentioning of the founding date of Chiang Mai: the 12th of April, 1296 CE at 4 am. It also mentions that the ubosot was commissioned by King Mangrai and that Phya Saen Luang had it restored in 1571. The present building was built in the 19th century. *
Ho Trai A ho trai () is the library of a Thai Buddhist temple. A ho trai can come in different shapes and sizes. For many centuries, the sacred Tipiṭaka scriptures had been written on palm leaves. To preserve the scriptures against humidity and a ...
- the Temple Library (scripture depository) of Wat Chiang Man is of a fairly plain design when compared to the Ho Trai belonging to ''
Wat Phra Singh Wat Phra Singh (full name: Wat Phra Singh Woramahaviharn; ; ; is a Buddhist temple (Thai language: Wat) in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand. King Ananda Mahidol (Rama VIII), bestowed upon it the status of List of Buddhist temples in Thailand#R ...
''. It is a wooden building set on top of a high plastered brick base. Most temples in Chiang Mai do not feature a Ho Trai. *Lotus Pond - as with Ho Trai, temple ponds do not feature at most Chiang Mai temples. Both Wat Phra Singh and Wat Chiang Man have one.


See also

*
Thai temple art and architecture Thai temple art and architecture is the art and architecture of Buddhist temples in Thailand. Temples are known as '' wats'', from the Pāḷi ''vāṭa'', meaning "enclosure". A temple has an enclosing wall that divides it from the secular worl ...


Gallery

Image:Chmwchiangman0506b.jpg, Ubosot Image:Chmwchiangman0506c.jpg, Former Ho Trai (Temple Library), a new one is now in the lotus pond Image:005 Ho Trai from Side (9203433957).jpg, The new Ho Trai building Image:Chmwchiangman0506a.jpg, Wihan: the Phra Sila Buddha is housed inside the
mondop The ''mondop'' (, from Pali/Sanskrit ) is a building form in traditional Thai religious architecture featuring a square or cruciform building with a usually pointed roof. In the narrow sense, it refers to an enclosed square building with a roughly ...
behind the gates Image:Chmwbuppharam0005-a.jpg, A mural from
Wat Buppharam, Chiang Mai Wat Buppharam (, ) is a Buddhist temple in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Founded in 1497 by King Mueang Kaeo, the temple was where Kawila began a ritual circumambulation of Chiang Mai to reoccupy it after two centuries of Burmese rule. Most of the templ ...
, depicting the inauguration of Wat Chiang Man Image:ChediChangLomDSCN4185.JPG, Wat Chiang Man, the ''Elephant chedi''


References

* Carol Stratton: ''Buddhist Sculpture of Northern Thailand''. Silkworm Books, Chiang Mai 2004, * Oliver Hargreave: ''Exploring Chiang Mai, City, Valley & Mountains''. Within Books, 3rd print, 2002.


External links


Wat Chiang Man, the first royal temple of Chiang Mai
- Page created by
Mahidol University Mahidol University is an autonomous university, autonomous public university, public research university in Thailand. The university was founded as part of Siriraj Hospital in 1888. It was first called the University of Medical Science in 1943, ...
{{coord, 18, 47, 37.81, N, 98, 59, 20.36, E, type:landmark_region:TH, display=title Chiang Man 13th-century Buddhist temples 13th-century establishments in Thailand