Wat Mahawan is a Buddhist temple in

Chiang Mai Chiang Mai (, from th, เชียงใหม่ , nod, , เจียงใหม่ ), sometimes written as Chiengmai or Chiangmai, is the largest city in northern Thailand, the capital of Chiang Mai province and the second largest city in ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

. It is located on the eastern periphery of the old city of Chiang Mai in Thaphae Road.

History

Wat Mahawan was founded during the Burmese occupation of Chiang Mai during the 17th century by Burmese engaged in the teak trade in northern Thailand, possibly on the site of a former temple. The current structures of the temple date from the 19th century or later.

Highlights

Wat Mahawan is noted for its mixture of Burmese and

Lanna The Lan Na Kingdom ( nod, , , "Kingdom of a Million Rice Fields"; th, อาณาจักรล้านนา, , ), also known as Lannathai, and most commonly called Lanna or Lanna Kingdom, was an Indianized state centered in present-day ...

architectural styles. The

assembly hall An assembly hall is a hall to hold public meetings or meetings of an organization such as a school, church, or deliberative assembly. An example of the last case is the Assembly Hall (Washington, Mississippi) where the general assembly of the st ...

by the west wall dating from the 19th century shows strong Burmese influence, as does its principal Buddha image known as ''Phra Chao To''. The square shaped, whitewashed

pagoda A pagoda is an Asian tiered tower with multiple eaves common to Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Vietnam, and other parts of Asia. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most often Buddhist but sometimes Taoist, ...

, the wooden scripture repository, which serves as the abbot's living quarters, and the archways and guardian

lions The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphic; adult ...

in the compound, are all typically Burmese. The Lanna style can be seen in the large assembly hall and the adjacent

ordination hall The ordination hall is a Buddhist building specifically consecrated and designated for the performance of the Buddhist ordination ritual ('' upasampada'') and other ritual ceremonies, such as the recitation of the Patimokkha. The ordination hall ...

on the eastern side of the temple. The assembly hall was constructed around 1865 and renovated in 1957. Inside are murals depicting the

Vessantara Jātaka The ''Vessantara Jātaka'' is one of the most popular jātakas of Theravada Buddhism. The ''Vessantara Jātaka'' tells the story of one of Gautama Buddha's past lives, about a very compassionate and generous prince, Vessantara, who gives away ev ...

and scenes from the Buddha's enlightenment. One of the bronze Buddha images made in Lanna dates from the late 15th to early 16th century.{{Cite book , last=Stratton , first=Carol , url=http://archive.org/details/buddhistsculptur0000stra , title=Buddhist sculpture of Northern Thailand , date=2004 , publisher=Chicago : Buppha Press ; Chiang Mai, Thailand : Silkworm Books , others=Internet Archive , isbn=978-974-7551-63-1 , pages=198

References

Mahawan Mahaban is a town and a nagar panchayat in Mathura district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. History Mahaban is said to have been found by Nanda, the foster father and paternal uncle of Lord Krishna before Krishna's birth, it was then ru ...

Thai Theravada Buddhist temples and monasteries