Chiangmai temples are the cultural and historical
hear of the city. The most famous have been places
of pilgrimage for northern people for centuries.
As traditional centers of merit making, they are the
best places to see Buddhist ceremonies. Funded by
noble and wealthy benefactors over a long period,
they have also become the repositories of some of
the finest examples of religious art. If you had but
half a day in the city, then it is to one or two of
these temples that you should go. Although chiang
mai has many worth visiting temples around town that
could take you a day or two to get it all (for those
who appreciate lanna cultures and ethnic traditions).
This webpage is just a brief information about things
in the old days and we'll keep you update on each
temples that you should visit soon.
The Lanna Temple
Thai temples have long served as the centre of the
community. While this traditional role has diminished
as young people have had less time for religious observances,
the temples still lie at the heart of the ritual and
social like of much of Thai society. Though earlier
temples were the most durable constructions of the
day, the wooden roofs and older earth filled walls
have not survived the destructive forces of nature
and man. Therefore most of the temple buildings seen
today do not go back much before the 19 th century.
Only the stupas(so called Chedi) and some walls and
sculptured image which were built of laterite or brick
covered with stucco have survived for longer periods.
The Chedi
Lanna temples originally were built round the chedi(stupas),
which contain valuable relics of pious kings and monks.
Like solid rocks in a sea of change, the old chedis
mark the site of former temples and are almost the
only structures that go back to the 13th - 15th centuries.
Perhaps their continued existence in some unlikely
places in the city is no accident. In Brahmaniac
Buddhist cosmology, the chedis 'stabilises the earth',
fixing a point where heaven and earth meet. They
maybe likened to the rising sun at dawn, bith separating
and joining the earth and sky after the darkness
of night.
Symbolising the dhamma, they chase away the darkness
of ignorance and chaos. Though many chedi in Chiang
Mai have been damaged by thieves who sought the
precious relics contained inside, citizens have
repaired and protected them. They are worshipped
as sacred symblos representing the cosmic body of
the Buddha and the law of the dhamma. Their shape
differs, however, due to the particular symbolism
of the dhamma chosen by the builders.
Chedi in Chiang Mai have two basic forms; the stepped
or prasat style, and the bell style. However, from
these basic forms many variations in size and shape
have appeared, reflecting the wealth of the city over
the centuries. An early example of the prasat style
is the Mahapol Chedi at Wat Chamadevi in Lamphun.
Later fine examples are those of Wat Phansat near
Chang Phuak bus station and Wat Lok Moli west of Chang
Puak gate.
The chedi of Wat Umong Suan Puthatham and the kater
chedi of Wat Prathat Haripunchai have the bell shaped
style. More recent examples are the Shan Burmese
style chedis built in the late 19th century. These
may be seen at the temples on Thapae Road. Other
variations include the octagonal form, which may
best be seen at Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep and Wat
Duang Di, and the round form best seen at Wat Phuak
Hong. Both designs may have evolved here or may
have come with monks or traders from Ayutthaya(the
octagonal form) and Lake Erhai in Yunnan (the round
form)
Temple Buildings
The Ubosot and Viharn are the most ornate and important
buildings in a temple compound. On the outside they
are decorated with stucco motifs which are covered
with lacquer, glass mosaic and gilt.
An Ubosot, or consecrated ceremonial hall in Lan
Na, is generally small, for its relegious functions
involve only monks. The ubosot stans in consecrated
ground marked by eight boundary stones and are usually
kept locked. Women are generally not allowed to
enter.
The viharn is a larger assembly hall where lay people
and monks participate in ceremonies. It is the main
building of the temple and is usually located to the
east of the chedi with the front entrance facing the
auspicious direction of the sunrise.
Though many viharn in the north are characteristically
Lanna in style, details in the architecture have been
influenced by Ayutthaya and Rattanakosin (Bangkok)
styles. Taller walls in the viharn, for example, show
a distinct influence of the central(Siamese) Thai.
Bot the Ubosot and the Viharn will contain the temple's
most important Buddha images. During ceremonies cotton
strings may be attached to these to spred the power
and blessing of the image amongst devotees. Because
of the value of these images and other artefacts,
many Viharn are also kept locked except on Buddhist
Holy days - Wan Phra(monk may unlocked a viharn if
politely requested to do so).
The Viharn is often decorated with elaborate murals,
which vary from ner to old, from finely executed
to roughly rendered. Scenes from the Jataka, the
previous lives of the Buddha, may adorn the sild
walls. The eastern wall above the front entrance
often shoes the unsuccessful attack by the demons
of Mara, the God of Illusion, who attemps to dissuade
the Buddha from achieving enlightenment.
Many temples contain a small scripture repository
raised up on a pedestal or stilts for protection.
Known as "ho trai", they are used to keep
religious scripts inscribed on palm leaves. These
scripts recorded Buddhist texts as well as the chronicle,
which rare a main source of early Thai history. The
best example of a "ho trai" is at Wat Phra
Singha.
Other buildings include "Kuti", the monks'
living quarters, general purpose halls known as
"Sala", and a bell tower which announces
ritual times to monks. Temples used to be the sold
source of education and compounds often contain
promary schools taken over by the government.
From ancient times the temple ground have served as
a public place for festivals and fairs serving the
local community. The entrances to compounds of important
temples in the past would sometimes have heavily decorated
entrance gates such as those at Wat Suan Dok.
Funeral rites are held in special halls, or at
the homes of the deceased, from where processions
will take the funeral beirs to cremation ground
at special locations set apart from communities
and temples.
Source:
Tourism Authority of Thailand
|
Hotel Promotion List in Chiangmai- Thailand
