Reclining Buddha
Wat Chedi Luang in the heart of the old walled city of Chiang Mai dates back to the 14th Century and the main stupa or Chedi was at one point the tallest building in the Lanna Kingdom.
Old Chedi with Elephant detail
Naga guardian of the Chedi
The temple or monastery grounds were reconstructed in the last century but not without some criticism regarding the style that the work was done.
Nowadays visitors can walk around the central Chedi and also visit a number of smaller temples around the outside, such as the shrine containing the reclining Buddha pictured above and the two Buddha images and temple pictured below.
Buddhas
Temple Shrine
The Wat can be seen from all around the centre of Chiang Mai, jutting above more modern buildings down side streets but it is definitely worth a visit in its own right.
The place has monks regularly in attendance and I believe they offer a "monk chat" every afternoon, where you can go and explore your problems or find out more of Buddhist philosophy straight from the practitioners.
