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ThailandDescription and is it worth a visit
The name Wat Chedi Luang (Wat Chedi Luang) translates as the temple of the great stupa and this is completely true, because in 1454, when the construction of the temple was fully completed, the height of the stupa reached a height of 86 meters, becoming the tallest structure in the kingdom. A statue of the emerald Buddha was installed in a niche at the top of the stupa.
Today, Chedi Luang is the center tourist destination of Chiang Mai, it is here that tourists with excursions are brought here in the first place, and independent travelers strive to get there. Therefore, the temple has now become the main attraction of Chiang Mai, and at the same time one of the few paid temples, the entrance costs 50 baht. However, despite this, it still remains original and traditional, and definitely worth a visit.
A little history of the temple
The construction of the temple began in the XIX century, King Saen Muang Ma (Saen Muang Ma) in order to bury his father's ashes at this place. 10 years later, the king died, but the construction was never completed. It was continued by the widow of the king, but due to problems with the stability of the structure, it was completed only in the middle of the 15th century during the reign of King Tilokaraj. The temple then had a height of 82 m and a base diameter of 54 m, and then it was the largest building of the entire kingdom of Lanna. In 1468, an Emerald Buddha was installed in the eastern niche.
During a strong earthquake in 1545, the temple was significantly damaged, then the top 30 meters of the stupa collapsed. After that, in 1551, the statue of the emerald Buddha was taken to Laos and placed in a temple in Luang-Prabang. In the early 1990s, the temple and stupa were reconstructed with the financial support of UNESCO and the Government of Japan. However, the result of the reconstruction turned out to be somewhat controversial, and there are opinions that the new elements are made in the style of Central Thailand, and not in the style of Lanna. By the 600th anniversary of Chedi in 1995, a copy of the Emerald Buddha made of black jade was placed in the reconstructed eastern niche. This new statue is officially called Phra Phut Chaloem Sirirat (Phra Phut Chaloem Sirirat), but is widely known as Phra Yok (Phra Yok).
🕐 Working hours
From 05:00 to 22:00.
💵Entrance fee / ticket price
The entrance for tourists is 50 baht (1.49 USD), for children - 30 baht.
🚶 How to get there
Chedi Luang Temple is located in the city center on Prapokklao Road (temple on Chiang Mai map). You can get from anywhere in the old town on foot, or you can take a tuk-tuk, minibus or taxi through the Grab, Maxim applications, the cost of the trip starts from 100 baht. Learn more about transportation in Chiang Mai and what to use here...
Friends, we remind you that it is much more interesting to get acquainted with the sights of Thailand with the help of excursions, and therefore we advise you to look at options with online booking and reviews on these excursion aggregators: