Wat chedi luang Chiang Mai

Wat Chedi Luang (Temple of the Big Stupa) is an impressive ruined temple in the center of Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, dating from the 14th and 15th centuries. This temple was build by King Saen Muang Ma (r.1385-1401) in 1391 to keep the ashes of his father, king Ku Na. The building was expanded by later kings, reaching its final form in 1475. It was then given the great honor of housing the Emerald Buddha, the most sacred Buddha image in Thailand (now kept in Wat Phra Kaew, in Bangkok). At this time, Wat Chedi Luang rose to a height of 84m (280 ft.). Later, a severe earthquake (1545) toppled part of the great spire. The Emerald Buddha was kept in the chedi for another six years, then moved to Luang Prabang (in present-day Laos) by the king. Five years later, Chiang Mai fell to the Burmese. The temple was never rebuilt, but even at its post-earthquake height (60m) it remained the tallest structure in Chiang Mai until modern times.