Wat Ming Mueang—Chiang Rai, Thailand
Posted by: Ianatlarge
N 19° 54.444 E 099° 49.716
47Q E 586728 N 2201447
An ancient temple in the middle of the modern city of Chiang Rai.
Waymark Code: WMEM21
Location: Thailand
Date Posted: 06/12/2012
Views: 7
Wat Ming Muang is a 700 year old temple located in centre of the northern Thai city and provincial capital of Chiang Rai. The Wat was built in 1262 during the reign of King Mengrai The Great, the founder of the city. In addition to its regular functions the temple is also a memorial to the mother of King Mengrai, Queen Chommuang.
Little of the ancient temple remains, the usual practice is for successive Kings to remodel and refurbish the main temples of their Kingdom, and in doing so highlighting their contributions over that of their predecessors. Thus the temple now looks new. Red is dominant colour of the temple. This possibly reflects the original Burmese population of this area of the city. The current name of the Wat was granted only in 1970. Wat Ming Muang translates as "Auspicious Temple of the City".
In design the temple is centred around the Ordination Hall. In the temple grounds are quarters for the monks, a stupa, and a number of Buddhist artefacts. There are several historical plaques for the temple and King Mengrai.
Open to visitors?: Yes
Photography Permitted Inside?: Yes
Statue of the Buddha present?: Yes
Related Website: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:Include in your log one or two complete sentences. Logs containing a few words like "visited it" are subject to deletion.
Photos of the shrine are strongly encouraged when permitted otherwise please refrain from taking pictures inside and in any case, generally have respect for the religious nature of the site.