Wednesday, February 1, 2023
A short walk on my last day

Today is Wednesday, February 1, and my last day in Chiang Mai. The day started fairly normally with breakfast and then my last yoga practice at Wild Rose Yoga with instructor Annie. I said goodbye to Rose and John after practice, and went back to See You Soon to finish packing and mentally prepare for the long journey home. The flight does not leave until 11:15 PM, and the taxi to the airport will come at 8 PM. After finalizing my packing, I went for a short walk.

Accommodations

I left See You Soon, and took two photos for whomever might be interested. The lower level is the restaurant and clothing & gift shop, while the upper level is where the six rooms are. The restaurant is almost always busy.

Then I walked about 75 meters to the north to say goodbye to my friends at The 3-Sis where I spent 37 days, and where I have stayed every visit in the past 11 years except when they were closed for the pandemic and for renovation. Here is a view of the entrance to the hotel part. The 20 rooms are on the second and third floors. The restaurant is on the left of this picture, and is also busy.

Wat Chedi Luang

Wat Chedi Luang is a favorite of mine, and conveniently across the street from The 3-Sis. I frequently go sit at the base of the large chedi for my morning meditation at 6:30 in the morning. I have posted the description, history, ad pictures of Wat Chedi Luang many, many times. I’ll only give a summary here.

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. When completed, the chedi was 82 meters high (270 feet) with a base diameter of 54 meters (178 feet), and was by far the largest structure in all of Lanna.

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 Chat 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, as can be seen:

While the viharn is closed for renovation, inside is the large standing Buddha image, the Phra Chat Attarat. The name translates to “eighteen-cubit Buddha” and as the name implies, it is large. Here is a photo I made during my visit to Chiang Mai in 2020:

Phra That Chedi Luang

Walking to the west of the viharn, the large chedi comes into view. For more than 500 years, the chedi was the tallest structure in the region and could be seen for miles around. 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 close to where I sit for my morning meditation, just south and west of the chedi:

Green Buddha Statues

At the back of the chedi are several pavilions. One houses a reclining Buddha statue that dates back to about 1500, and another houses a statue of the Phra Katchayana (Fat Buddha). Next to those are two pavilions that house the 10-ton Phra Buddhamani-Srilanna Buddha and the 15-ton Phra Buddharatana-Naganaphisi Buddha statues. These are quite new, about 5 or 6 years old. They were made from stone quarried near Chiang Rai (about 4 hours drive north and west from Chiang Mai), and then sculpted near there before being brought to Wat Chedi Luang five years ago. I happened to be there the day the statues were being unloaded from the trucks. After being unloaded onto pedestals, the buildings were built around them.

These are beautiful Buddha statues, dark green and elegant. The first, the Phra Buddhamani-Srilanna Buddha is about 3 meters high:

The second statue, the Phra Buddharatana-Naganaphisi Buddha image, is three and a half meters high, weighs 15 tons, and is protected by the five-headed naga serpent.

I walked around the chedi, and saw this view of the other side of the viharn, clearly under construction.

Interestingly, the construction entrance in the fence, closed in this picture, is guarded by two thewada. A nice touch.

After leaving Wat Chedi Luang, I walked down to the Singing Bowl Center to saw goodbye to Ahman and Bowan, the owners. Finally, I had a pasta dinner at La Fontana, the returned to See You Soon to wait for the taxi to the airport.

Next: Traveling home and reflections on my 10th winter in Chiang Mai