City Temples of Chiang Mai
Here are 36 active temples in the old city alone and many more in the greater city area. Should you be casually strolling down a narrow lane and you see a temple not listed here, take the time to walk in and look around, for every temple has something unique to offer. Many have special plaques that give a brief history at each location.
Wat Buppharam
source: www.chiangmai1.com
The temple was founded by King Muang Kaew in 1497. The Burmese-style chedi was rebuilt in 1958, and there is a well nearby which supplies holy water for anointing the King.
A small Lanna style viharn contains a large brick and stucco Buddha. Though over 300 years old, much that is seen today probably originates from a restoration at the end of the 19th century.
The mom – the guardian beasts at the entrance – were made in 1989, however.
The larger viharn (open only in the evening during chanting) goes back about 200 years and contains some mid- 20th century murals that show the Maha Rart in a Burmese style. The carved front door panels were completed in 1983.
Ho monthian tham
The newest structure is the hall (ho monthian tham) with the pinnacled roof.
Abbot Phra Udom Kittimongkol had it built on the spot where an earlier wooden structure used to stand. The building took ten years to complete and was finished in 1996. With its mythical beasts, stucco reliefs, wood carvings and murals, it is a fine demonstration of contemporary religious art.
Inside the hall on the ground floor, murals show the Lanna twelve months’ traditions.
Local artist Pornchai Jaimon included contemporary scenes in the details when he submitted this work for his degree thesis.
The second floor is heavily decorated and contains two large seated Buddha images. The white image is solid teak and was carved after a vision by King Naresuan in the late 16th century, when he defeated the Burmese forces near Muang Ngai. This vision is depicted in the carved wood panels on the east wall.
Wat Duang Di
(Phrapokklao Road)
This charming "hidden" temple has a compound shaded by some old longan trees. A small but unusual scripture repository decorated with stucco built in 1829 is located to the south of the main entrance to the viharn.
The tall viharn shows an Ayutthaya influence and has a very fine carved wooden gable. The massive wooden doors are dated 1929, but the main building is probably from the 19th century.
The inside of the viharn is simple, with crude murals between the windows depicting Buddhist bells.
The small ubosot next to the viharn is even older. According to an inscription at the base of one of the Buddha images in the viharn, the temple was formerly known as Wat Ton Mak Nua and dates back to King Muang Kaew at the beginning of the 16th century.
More info
http://www.chiangmai1.com/chiang_mai/city_temples.shtml
