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Wat Chiang Man, Chiang Mai

Architectural Building · Hidden Gem · Religious Site
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Visit the first temple of Chiang Mai at Wat Chiang Man, where King Mengrai once lived in the 14th century. The attraction consists of meditation halls, gold-topped structures, and old Buddhist decorations. Inside the largest hall, look for the oldest Buddha image in the city, a statue holding a begging bowl. The smaller meditation hall hosts the crystal and marble Buddhas. Walk around the temple grounds to find the Chedi Chang Lom, a structure surrounded by stone elephants. Make Wat Chiang Man a centerpiece of your Chiang Mai vacation itinerary, and find what else is worth visiting using our Chiang Mai trip planner.
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Wat Chiang Man reviews

TripAdvisor traveler rating
TripAdvisor traveler rating 4.5
1,095 reviews
Google
4.6
TripAdvisor
  • Built at the end of the 13th century, it is the oldest temple in town, is quiet, pleasant and interesting mostly because of its stupa with elephant heads. 
    Built at the end of the 13th century, it is the oldest temple in town, is quiet, pleasant and interesting mostly because of its stupa with elephant heads.  more »
  • One of the oldest temples in Chiang Mai. The highlights here are the 1800 years old Crystal buddha and three 2500 years old marble buddha. They are housed in the small temple on the right side of... 
    One of the oldest temples in Chiang Mai. The highlights here are the 1800 years old Crystal buddha and three 2500 years old marble buddha. They are housed in the small temple on the right side of...  more »
  • I wasn't planning on coming to this Wat until I learnt that it was the oldest in Chiang Mai. So glad I did. Very beautiful. Loved walking around the various parts, taking it all in and learning... 
    I wasn't planning on coming to this Wat until I learnt that it was the oldest in Chiang Mai. So glad I did. Very beautiful. Loved walking around the various parts, taking it all in and learning...  more »
Google
  • Beautiful temple with a peaceful feel throughout. One of the nicest of them all and should be on your list to see. You need to dress appropriately, however if not you van hire a cloth for only 10 baht. Easy to get to by bike also
  • Completed in 1297 this is the oldest Royal Temple in ancient city. Several very old Buddha statues are housed in one of the building here, a crystal Buddha around 1800 years old and a marble Buddha around 2500 years old. Some lovely murals on the walls depicting scenes from the life of Buddha. Small lake at the rear with stitleted house in the middle accessible vie drawbridhe only.
  • Beautiful temple, well worth a visit, amazing to walk around the grounds. There's a few temples here so really nice to see the different styles of architecture that form Thai heritage!
  • Great temple to visit in the north section of the old city. Really nice tranquil place to enjoy a break from the madness outside the walls. Some of the temples are incredible. My particular favorite was the clearly older one with stone elephants guarding the perimeter. Would recommend a visit.
  • This is a beautiful historical temple with several buildings on the Temple grounds with beautiful architecture and the temples were beautiful on the inside and the out. We enjoyed walking around the grounds and in the temples and if you are in Chiang Mai old city this is worth a visit. Also the history of this place is written in English too as well as Chinese and Thai. I have put a video up on this place on my TikTok TTSWThailand and also my YouTube The traveling social worker in Thailand if you want to have a more detailed look before you visit.

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