Saturday 4 January 2025
Checking out the decorated Wat Chedi Luang

I have visited and written about Wat Chedi Luang many, many times over the years. In many ways, it is my favorite temple. I used to sit at the base of the large chedi every morning for a short meditation. [I stopped when they started charging foreigners 50 baht to enter the temple grounds.] The King of Thailand, Vajiralongkorn or King Rama X, the tenth monarch of the Chakri dynasty, is visiting Wat Phra Singh and Wat Chedi Luang tomorrow in a short visit to Chiang Mai. The temple and others nearby are cleaned and decorated for the King’s visit.

The first thing I noticed was many police officers in the area. And the elaborate pedestrian gate is closed for the first time since it was built about 7 or 8 years ago.

Today I was able to walk in through the main entrance without paying (yay!). The bunting in the yellow and purple royal colors are all around.

A band was rehearsing in the parking area to the right of the main viharn (assembly hall). And to the left of the band, a large picture of the King and Queen has been installed.

Looking directly to the viharn from the main temple entrance the decorations are clear. Closer to the entrance to the viharn, the only change I noticed was a large donation urn and the viharn is closed, blocked off by a red barrier.

Walking back to the chedi, more decorations have been added.

Here is a view of the large chedi from where I sit for my meditation.

I took a photo of the other side of the chedi as I walked around.

Finally, as I was leaving, a photo of the side of the viharn with the chedi in the background showing a large tent set up for this royal visit, maybe where the King will be received.

The temple looks very clean and festive. I hope some of the decorations are left in place for a while.

Next: Hike to Wat Phalad with Rudi from France