Wat Chedi Luang is conveniently located right in the middle of the Old City. Luang translates in the old Lanna language to something like "very big", and the enormous crumbling central structure certainly lives up to its name. The main chedi was 82 meters tall, making it the highest point in Chiang Mai’s Old City

The temple complex dates all the way back to 1385, but has had various additions and remodels since. It was once home to the highly revered Emerald Buddha, which now takes pride of place in Bangkok’s Grand Palace.

Wat Chedi Luang วัดเจดีย์หลวง temple of the big stupa or temple of the royal stupa is a Buddhist temple. The current temple grounds were originally made up of three temples Wat Chedi Luang, Wat Ho Tham and Wat Sukmin.

The construction of the temple started in the 14th century, when King Saen Muang Ma planned to bury the ashes of his father there. After 10 years of building time it was left unfinished, later to be continued after the death of the king by his widow. Probably due to stability problems it took until the mid-15th century to be finished during the reign of king Tilokaraj. It was then 82 m high and had a base diameter of 54 m, at that time the largest building of all Lanna. In 1468, the Emerald Buddha was installed in the eastern niche. In 1545, the upper 30 m of the structure collapsed after an earthquake, and shortly thereafter, in 1551, the Emerald Buddha was moved to Luang Prabang.

In the early 1990s the chedi was reconstructed, financed by UNESCO and the Japanese government. However the result is somewhat controversial, as some claim the new elements are in Central Thai style, not Lanna style. 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.

Also on the temple grounds is the city pillar (Lak Mueang) of Chiang Mai, named Sao Inthakin. It was moved to this location in 1800 by King Chao Kawila; it was originally located in Wat Sadeu Muang. He also planted three dipterocarp trees there, which are supposed to assist the city pillar to protect the town.

The chedi and temple grounds are a must see while in Chiang Mai there are many other sites around and it is within walking distance of many other sites in the old city.

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