Saturday 23 November 2024
Revisiting a favorite temple

Wat Chedi Luang

Wat Chedi Luang is a very old and important temple to the Thai people. The 3-Sis guesthouse where I stay is directly across the street from Wat Chedi Luang, so I see busses of tourists, many Thai, arriving every day while I am eating breakfast.

In years past, I would do my morning meditation at the base of the large chedi before breakfast. When they started charging 50 baht for non-Thais to enter, I decreased the frequency of going there. Wat Chedi Luang remains one of my favorite places for a meditation.

The Name Wat Chedi Luang

Wat means temple or temple grounds. Chedi is a pagoda. Luang translates to either royal or “really big.” Both apply to Wat Chedi Luang, it is a Royal temple with the really big chedi.

A Brief History

Construction of Wat Chedi Luang started in the 14th century when King Saeng Muang Ma planned to build a chedi to inter the ashes of his late father. After 10 years of building, it was left unfinished, only to be continued after the death of the king by his widow. It was not finished until the mid-15th century. By then, 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 (the country making up most of northern Thailand). The famous Emerald Buddha was installed in the eastern niche in 1468. An earthquake in 1545, caused the collapse of the top 30 meters of the chedi. The top portion has never been restored, because there is no documentation of how it appeared, and to restore it incorrectly would cause it great dishonor. So it is left as is.

Emerald Buddha Modern History

Shortly after the earthquake, in 1551, the Emerald Buddha was moved to Luang Prabang in what is now Laos. And in 1564 it was moved to Vientiane. In 1779, the Siamese General Chao Phraya Chakri (after whom the Chao Phraya River is named) invaded Laos, looted Vientiane, and took the Emerald Buddha to Siam. It was installed in a shrine close to Wat Arun in Thonburi, the new capital of Siam (currently a suburb of Bangkok). Chao Phraya Chakri then seized the throne for himself and founded the Chakri Dynasty of the Rattanakosin Kingdom, where he would later be titled King Rama I.

He shifted his capital across Chao Phraya River to its present location in Bangkok, and constructed the new Grand Palace including Wat Phra Kaew within its compound. The Emerald Buddha was moved to its current home in the ubosot of the Wat Phra Kaew temple in 1785.

[Note, the Emerald Buddha is called “emerald” for its green color, not its composition. The statue is carved of jasper.]

Back to Wat Chedi Luang

For the 600th anniversary of the chedi in 1995, a copy of the Emerald Buddha made from black jade was placed in the reconstructed eastern niche.

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, 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 Phra Viharn Luang has been closed and under restoration for the past two years. It is now open. First, a photo of the naga (dragon or serpent) entrance (and there are always other tourists visible):

Inside the viharn is newly restored and bright. It is the same physical size as before the rennovation, but it seems larger and more expansive especially as I approach the large standing Buddha.

A close-up of the Phra Chat Attorat standing Buddha:

Leaving the viharn, I walked to the large chedi to where I sit for a morning meditation, near the foot of the chedi. This is a very large structure. The elephants are fully life size.

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 relatively recent additions to Wat Chedi Luang. Two pavilions were added about 7 years ago that house the 10-ton Phra Buddhamani-Srilanna Buddha and the 15-ton Phra Buddharatana-Naganaphisi Buddha statues. These 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 . I happened to be there the day the statues were being unloaded from the trucks. After they were unloaded onto pedestals that were already in place, small buildings were constructed around the statues. I have posted similar photos in the past, and cannot resist looking at and photographing these statues almost every time I visit Wat Chedi Luang.

Finishing my walk arount the Wat Chedi Luang temple grounds, I took a last look at the large chedi. This the eastern face, and high up, under the arch is the niche where the Emerald Buddha once sat, and now the black replica sits.

I always love being at Wat Chedi Luang. It is large and while busy with tourists, never seems too frenetic. Almost as if the large chedi has a calming effect.

Next: Walk along the Mae Ping River to see leftover impact of the recent floods.