Place of worship
Wat Chiang Man
171 Ratchapakhinai Rd, Tambon Si Phum, Amphoe Mueang Chiang Mai, Chang Wat Chiang Mai 50200
Oldest temple in the city, home to a tiny crystal Buddha and an elephant-ringed chedi.
This guide to Wat Chiang Man, Chiang Mai's oldest temple, follows a palm-sized crystal Buddha that once belonged to Queen Chamathewi of Hariphunchai, a kingdom torn apart by the warlord Mangrai in the twelve eighties. The statue survived the sack of her city intact, and Mangrai kept it as he built his own new capital nearby. Beside it today sits a second sacred figure, carved in stone, showing the Buddha calming a charging elephant.
Audio guides are written and narrated by AI.