Even in ruins Phra Dhatu Chedi Luang is impressive. Imagine, how majestic it looked back in it’s heyday some 600 years ago. Back then it was about 84m (~276ft) tall and hosted the Emerald Buddha, the most important religious object in Thailand (now kept in Wat Phra Kaew in Bangkok). Sadly, the glory days of Wat Chedi Luang were very short lived. According to a legend, it’s spire was crashed during a devastating earthquake in 1545 (the different version says that it was blown off by King Taksin’s cannons firing at the city to chase off Burmese in 18th century). In any case, the spire was gone, the Emerald Buddha was moved…, but still, at 60m (~197ft), it remained the tallest structure in Chiang Mai until modern times.
There are some signs of modern times around the Temple
There is a number of different legends about Wat Chedi Luang. These are the narratives displayed on the Temple’s grounds:
More information about the pagoda and the temple:
- Wat Chedi Luang, Chiang Mai by Holly Hayes, Sacred Destinations
- Wat Chedi Luang, Chinag Mai by Michael Holland, Thailand for Visitors
- Wat Chedi Luang from Wikipedia
More Wat Chedi Luang photos on Flickr
Wat Chedi Luang on Google Maps