在十三世纪的风云激荡中，孟莱王挥剑斩断缠绕古城的藤蔓，将佛陀的种子播撒在素贴山下，让白象驮来的佛经落地生根，兰纳王朝的黄金时代在清迈盆地铺展开来，晨钟暮鼓惊醒了沉睡的群山，三百座佛寺如莲花般次第绽放，南邦窑火将菩萨低眉的姿态烧制成永恒，夜丰颂的山民将梵音织入筒裙纹样，至于湄平河也不甘示弱，用粼粼波光誊写贝叶经卷。直到某天来自素可泰的商贾在城门下瞠目——惊觉这里早已不是蛮荒边陲，这座用木石与信仰搭建的都城，竟让莽林深处开出了比南方更璀璨的文明之花。 清迈的智慧在于懂得如何让时光沉淀，这座城总带着被时光反复浸润的从容，它把沧桑写成塔顶褪色的彩绘，将劫难化作寺院墙角的风铃，连殖民者留下的弹痕都成了城墙的皱纹。如今漫步在清迈街头，恍然听见三种文明在城墙夹缝中低声絮语。契迪龙寺残缺的佛塔与霓虹灯影彼此映照，夜市的一盏盏纸灯笼在方砖地上交织成影，身着亚麻长衫的匠人敲打银器的叮当声里混杂着上世纪西方探险家的马蹄余响，流浪歌手拨弄的吉他弦上，隐约流淌着兰纳乐师失传的旋律。最妙是雨夜路过某间画廊，水汽朦胧的橱窗中，十五世纪的兰纳舞姬正与印象派油画隔空对话，街角咖啡馆飘散的暗香中竟混杂着当年马帮驮来的西南茶砖气息。清迈终究是懂得留白的，它不像吴哥窟般将沧桑刻在脸上，也不似阿瑜陀耶把悲怆刻进每道裂缝，亦不效曼谷将浮华绣满衣襟，任王朝兴衰在香炉外翻涌，青烟里始终袅绕着最初的虔诚。当游人们骑着大象穿越密林，可曾听见山涧流水正在吟诵孟莱王时代的碑文？当夕阳将最后一片金箔贴在素贴山的眉骨上，整座城池便成了盛放时光的琥珀——透彻却不透明，温润而自有筋骨。
"Si Phum" means "prosperous land" from which the temple Wat Chai Si Phum takes its name, according to the plaque near the entrance, is located near the Si Phum Corner.
The temple's viharn or assembly hall is strikingly large with as many as six windows along each side and a two-tiered steeply sloping roof, and has a grand portico supported by four massive teak columns.
The roof has gilt nagas extending along the bargeboards and the apexes are topped with eagle chofa finials. The gabled end is richly decorated with gilt carved foliate work on a silver coloured mosaic base and a Devata figure occupies the space near the top. The underside of the eaves are decorated with floral motifs as are the supporting columns which have lotus flower capitals.
These very solid looking square sections support the bell which is covered in white stucco with a gilt fringe, above which, the neck is decorated with different coloured pieces of glass or celadon which sparkle in blue, gold and green on a square base extending up to support the pinnacle which is topped with a gilt umbrella.
Wat Chom Phu
Wat Chom Phu is nearly 600 hundred years old and, like the city, was abandoned during the Burmese invasion. After King Kawila drove the Burmese out in 1775 he set about rebuilding Chiang Mai during the so-called Rattanakosin period in the 1780s, including the rebuilding of Wat Chom Phu.
The chedi is called "rathat Chedi Tong Jango" and dates from the 16th century when the temple was originally built. It was renovated in 1999 to celebrate the 50th accession to the throne of the late King Bumipol.
The style of the chedi is Burmese and Lanna with a high octagonal base composed of layers and indented. The mid-section is octagonal rising like a pyramid to the bell on which stands an impressive finial with hti or umbrella in the Burmese style.
Around the base of the chedi there are numerous decorative structures including gilt chattras, mondop towers and various figures including elephants, all in gilt. There are niches on each side with rich ornamentation involving finials, nagas and other figures.
Wat Dok Kham
Wat Dok Kham gets a lot of visitors as it's close to the Tha Phae Gate. It's a small temple with a viharn and a chedi and a striking new pavilion.
The viharn has a very striking front facade facing east where the front entrance should be but probably due to lack of space the entrance is to the side. Where the main door should be is filled with concrete and a standing gilt Buddha image in the Abhaya mudra watches over the street. Next to it are two Devata images in bas-relief.
The gable end is richly decorated with gilt carvings of flowers and foliate, as well as numerous figures. Above the arch there is a frieze containing animals of the zodiac with two pairs of hamsa in rich gilt. Above the nagas there's a small kirti mukha monster face, and the top there is a large Dhamma wheel set between two deer.
The main entrance to the building on the north side has a pair of kneeling Devata figures and the door frame is deeply molded and decorated with gilt flower motifs.
The chedi has in recent years had a make-over as it used to have a simple whitewashed covering which was deteriorating. Now it has the main section covered in sparkling golden metal sheets.
The base of the Lanna style chedi has been left whitewashed without gold cladding which begins on the rounded octagonal mid-section supporting the bell. Above the bell is a long finial topped with a Burmese style gilt umbrella.
Around the chedi at each corner are four small gilded chedis in minature as well as kneeling Devata figures. On the east side is a ku or mondop structure to hold a Buddha image and to receive offerings.
车塔湾寺 Wat Chetawan
The viharn of Wat Chetawan is in beautiful shape which much of it made of teak which seems to be more resistant to aging than stone.
It has a good three tiered interlocking roof in the Lanna style, sharply pitched and sweeping low towards the ground. The roof is split into as many as three sections so its crowded with gilt naga heads at the end of the eaves and their bodies snaking down the bargeboards in bright gold and green. At the apex of each roof are slender eagle-headed chofas with small wind-bells, and it has an ornate, hamsa bird, ridge finial with eight layers of gilt.
There are three doors each decorated above the lintel with gilt floral work . The larger central door has peacock in the middle with two more birds standing on the columns and two nagas across the top creating the arch. Over the the windows hare Devata figures. The front wall is covered with murals depicting scenes from the life of the Buddha including sitting under the Bodhi tree having achieved enlightenment.
The chinthe or Burmese style lion figures which were guarding the front entrance were in the process of being transformed by the monks into elephant guardians. The stonemason was at work shaping the head of the elephant in concrete. A new creature will be created in the shape of an elephant with wings and below see the completed statues.
