Architectural Legacies of Chiang Mai

Written by: Jillian Ng

The day of seeing the wats around the city moats led us to the site of two famous wats, that is, Wat Pra Singh and Wat Chedi Luang. Buddhist temples in Thailand are referred to as wats. These wats are largely found within and outside the walled city of Chiang Mai. Chiang Mai temples represent the cultural and historical heart of the city; and serve as the main focus of the Thai community. The temples are very much at the heart of the ritual and social life of the Thais.

The moat and the adjacent gate structures are amazing in themselves; the restored Thae Pae gates came into view as we were approaching the moats surrounding the city. And then our first discovery was that the moat has an almost perfect square formation, measuring 18 meters across, with a width of 1800 meters and a length of 2000 meters. This is an amazing feat considering that the square covers such a vast area and it was constructed in the olden days. It was said that Chiang Mai walls and moats were actually oriented to the cardinal points and symbolized the mountains and the seas of the universe; and with all its buildings being positioned based on cosmology, the scientific study of the origin and structure of the universe.

Moat

Our first stop brought us to the classic northern Thai style of Wat Pra Singh, also known as the Monastery of the Lion Buddha. The wat was built out of an alloy of gold and copper and is an important landmark of Chiang Mai for over 700 years. Upon entering the wat, one cannot help but notice the steely glare of the Singhs (meaning lions) guarding the ingress of the wat.

The shrine at wat pra singh

The wat was raised about fifteen steps and we had to leave our shoes on the steps before we could enter the wat. Once we were inside the wat, we saw the huge sitting Buddha statue, with its height almost reaching to the ceiling. And directly above the statue, there were the twelve Thai zodiacs inscribed on the ceiling. These zodiacs are similar to the Chinese zodiacs, with the exception that the naga (water snake) is in place of the dragon and the elephant is in place of the swine.

Thai zodiacs

On a stone slab at the side of the steps was engraved with the history of the wat. Previously known as Wat Lee Chiang, the wat was constructed in the year 1345 by King Phayoo of the Mengrai dynasty as a final resting place for his father, King Kam Fu. During the reign of King Saen Muang Ma in the Lanna Thai kingdom Pra Buddasihing, a famous Buddha image (that is the image of the Pra Singh) was transported from Kampaengpet to Chiang Mai. The Buddha image was originally intended to be presented to the King of Chiang Mai. While the Buddha image was being transported to the palace, the chariot broke down nearby this wat; and this had resulted in the Buddha image being installed at this wat instead. Due to this incident, the name of this wat has since been changed from Wat Lee Chiang to Wat Chiang Pra and subsequently, to the present name of Wat Pra Singh. It was noted that in 1772 A.D., this wat went under a major reconstruction initiated by King Kavila. Besides the image of Pra Singh, this wat houses another important Buddha image called Pra Thongtip. In 1941 A.D., the status of Wat Pra Singh was upgraded to that of a royal wat (first class) under the royal patronage.

Stone slab

We then moved on to see the chedi (also known as stupa), which means pagoda. We were given a quick tour around the temple ground of Chedi Luang. Elephant structures can be seen on the temple. Generally, chedis in Chiang Mai take either the stepped style or the bell style. It was from these two basic forms that later chedis have transformed to other shapes. Chedi Luang takes after the stepped style. It was said that the city celebrates the City Pillar Inthakin Festival at Chedi Luang for seven days and nights during the 7th lunar month to pray for peace, happiness and prosperity for the city and its residents. During the festival, there are parades of Buddha images around the city.

Chedi Luang

This wat was built by King Saen Muang Ma of the Mengrai dynasty, who intended to use the building to house the remains of his father Ku Na. It was said that in the year 1545, the wat was hit by an earthquake which left the structure heavily damaged. After its restoration, the chedi was reduced to 60 meters high compared to its original height of 90 meters. To the left of the wat is a very tall and ancient tree; legend has it that should this tree ever fall, a great misfortune will take place. It was indeed fortunate that this ancient tree still stands today! Interestingly, Chedi Luang was also used as final resting place for the King’s father.

Damaged portion of Chedi Luang

The ancient tree at Chedi Luang

It is seen that the structures in Chiang Mai have been restored to their past glory as close as possible; and have been well-maintained by the present generation. The city of Chiang Mai is indeed a model of how the present day people literally live right next door to the old legacy.

Diary Entry: Day 1

Written by: Jillian Ng.

Having arrived at the Chiang Mai Airport, we were immediately captivated by the mesmerising scenery just beyond the airplane windows. Right next to the landing strip was a big mountain accompanied by several hills. Chiang Mai was already treating us well with its warm weather, and a gift in the form of SIM cards.

View from the airport runway

After gathering our luggage, we headed to the amusingly named Yourhouse Guesthouse, a place Dr. Yeoh dubs as the Shangri-la of all backpackers; and indeed we agree. Our mode of transport was a “lot tang” (which literally translates to red car). At first, everyone was shocked by the choice of transportation as these trucks were no more red (magenta maybe?) than they were cars – they looked like a swanky hooded pick-up trucks, sans the swanky. However it is not to say the ride was not an enjoyable experience; it seemed like the vehicle shown in the Korean drama “Goong” during the one of the episodes when the characters were in Bangkok.

The lut deng fits up to 12 people

On the way to the guesthouse we saw remnants of the old Thai fort at various points along the road; there was the Three Kings museum which is five minutes away from the guesthouse. At every corner we looked there was a cultural or a historical structure. This city and its cohabitants are literally living in a historical site, taking advantage of its past to make it part of the present. This was quite a peculiar site for many of us who normally only experience history in a commodified context.

The main agenda for our day was a visit to the Chiang Mai University and we were greeted by a sea of students in Uniforms; black, blue, white, and violet shirts able outsiders to distinguish the level of study of each student. Though we were fascinated by this uniformity (pun intended) we decided, first and foremost, to have lunch. Though it was a stuffy cafeteria, the food was ... simply awesome. The spicy food there was really spicy, the savoury really savoury, and the sweet deliciously sweet.

As we waited for our rides back to the guesthouse after an interesting lecture on Thailand Highland Minorities, we stumbled upon what is called a “thon poh toh” (which translates to the golden tree). Students make wishes by hanging a gold leaf on the tree and hope for them to come true (how useful it would be for assignment week in Monash!).

The golden tree in the middle of a cafeteria

A particularly distinctive feature of the University for me, was the vastness and intensity of the greenery which surrounded it; it seemed as though the institution was built around the trees. Once we arrived at the guesthouse, we were at liberty to do what we wanted – including sleep.

One of many green gardens in CMU

That was only our day one. We still have seven more amazing days to look forward to!

Profile: Jillian Ng Nyin Nyin

Currently pursuing double degree majoring in economics and communications in Monash University Sunway campus; year 2 semester 2. I missed my orientation because of flood and traffic congestion. This seemed to be a common occurrence as I had consistently missed orientation for my high school, college and university study. My pre-U study was at Sunway University College where I did my Cambridge A-level Science. Not keen on sweets. Recently produced my first video while taking journalism unit. Like reading what Calvin says in the Calvin and Hobbes comic strips. I have basic horse riding skills. After taking the lessons, this changed my whole perception of horse riding; I had always thought it was easy; omg, it was hard work indeed. Just cut my hair; I have never had my hair so short before. My younger self would have strongly protested this desecration.