Wat Chiang Man

The rain Buddha

A stone Buddha with rain-giving powers features in Songkran

At the end of the dry season, the Phra Sila statue features prominently in the Songkran festival. It is a stone stele showing a standing Buddha taming the elephant Nalagiri in bas-relief. The belief is that the statue has rain-giving powers.

The first temple

Mangrai built the first temple of Chiang Mai on a Lawa town

Mangrai built Wat Chiang Man in 1297 as the first temple of Chiang Mai. It stands where Wiang Nopburi once stood, a fortified town of the Lawa people that Mangrai had used as a camp while his new capital was being built.

The stele

A stone stele holds the oldest mention of the city's founding date

In front of the ubosot stands a stone stele from 1581. It holds the oldest mention of the founding date of Chiang Mai, the 12th of April, 1296. It also says that King Mangrai commissioned the ubosot and that Phya Saen Luang restored it in 1571. The present building dates from the 19th century.

The elephants

Elephants seem to carry the oldest chedi on their backs

The Elephant Chedi is the oldest construction in the temple complex. The front halves of 15 life-sized brick-and-stucco elephants emerge from its second level. The elephants seem to carry the upper levels of the building on their backs.

The Crystal Buddha

A small quartz Buddha is thought to protect against disasters

In the New Wihan, the Crystal Buddha is carved from clear quartz and stands only 10 cm tall. By one account it was crafted around 200 CE and reached Chiang Mai when Mangrai conquered Lamphun. Because it survived the pillaging of that city, it is thought to protect against disasters. Carol Stratton instead dates it to the 15th century.

10 cmthe height of the Crystal Buddha