| Another visit-worthy temple of Chiang Mai
When in Chiang Mai,
the city of old culture and sweet-mannered people, the sites where
you can linger all day to admire the city's magical charm are temples
dotting the city in abundance. Apart from Wat Phra Sing which is
a well-known beautiful Buddhist temple where Phra Phuttha Sihing,
a most revered Buddha image of the north is enshrined, Wat Lok Moli
appears to be another interesting and visit-worthy temple.
The exterior of Wat Lok Moli
|
Background
The name of Wat Lok Moli was mentioned in the Chronicle of the
Lanna Kingdom when King Chai Racha of Ayutthaya (1534-1546)
marched his troops to attack the Lanna Kingdom.
|
Wat Lok Moli is located near Chang Phuak Gate. Its front is adjacent
to the road around the city moat. If you drive round the moat, you
will notice its delicate patterned arch and its teak Lanna-style vihara.
Wat Lok Moli is an ancient temple of Chiang Mai but its establishing
year is unknown. The name Wat Lok Moli was found in the "Legend
of Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep". It mentioned that in A.D. 1367 King
Kuena, the sixth Lanna King of the Mangrai Dynasty who had a strong
faith in Buddhism dispatched his envoys to invite Phra Maha Thera,
a revered Buddhist monk of Martaban* to propagate Buddhism in the
Lanna Kingdom.
*Martaban is an ancient town believed
to have been founded in A.D. 573 by the first king of Pegu. At present
it is a small town in Thaton District of Lower Myanmar.
The Principal Buddha
image in the vihara
|
Unfortunately, the monk was too old to travel.
So, Phra Ananda Thera and another ten monks were sent as delegates
to carry on this mission. When in the kingdom, the monk group
stayed at Wat Lok Moli. Later, in 1527, King Ketklao transferred
the area of Ban Hua Wiang Village to be part of the precinct
of Wat Lok Moli. In 1528, he ordered the grand pagoda and the
vihara to be established. When the king was assassinated in
1545, the civil servants agreed to house his relics in a pagoda
at Wat Lok Moli. |
After that, his daughter, Queen Chira Prapha succeeded him. Some legends
assume that she was actually the Queen of King Ketklao, not his daughter.
During her reign, Chiang Mai became weak in military strength, so,
King Chai Racha of Ayutthaya led his army to attack Chiang Mai. Thanks
to the Queen's wits, Chiang Mai maintained its sovereignty. Afterwards,
the queen officially invited King Chai Racha to make merit at Wat
Lok Moli. And the king gave the queen an amount of money to renovate
the pagoda housing the relics of the late King Ketklao.
The castle-style pagoda |
 After
that, Chiang Mai had been Burma's vassal state for about 200
years. During the Burmese rule, many temples were burnt down
except Wat Lok Moli. This was because the Burmese king ruling
Chiang Mai at that time held Wat Lok Moli as a prestigious temple. |
Interesting Constructions
The Pagoda
This castle-style pagoda was constructed in 1528 in the reign of King
Ketklao. It was later renovated and modified several times, adding
to the height of the pagoda. Inside the pagoda are King Ketklao's
relics.
The Vihara
The vihara of Wat Lok Moli shows typical Lanna architectural style
with awesomely beautiful naga* stuccoed figures.
* a mythical serpent-like creature
• Special thanks to Tourism Authority of
Thailand (TAT) Northern Office Region 1 for arranging an impressive
press tour to Chiang Mai and to Mag Media Co.,Ltd and Forty-Five
Organizer & Media Co.,Ltd. for facilitating the photographing
and giving us useful information.
|
