Chiang Mai

Wat Chedi Luang is a Buddhist temple in the historic centre of Chiang Mai, Thailand. The current temple grounds were originally made up of three... temples — Wat Chedi Luang, Wat Ho Tham and Wat Sukmin. The construction of the temple started in the 14th century, when King Saen Muang Ma planned to bury the ashes of his father there. After 10 years of building time it was left unfinished, later to be continued after the death of the king by his widow. Probably due to stability problems it took until mid-15th century to be finished during the reign of king Tilokaraj. It was then 82 m high and had a base diameter of 54 m, at that time the largest building of all Lanna. In 1468, the Emerald Buddha was installed in the eastern niche. In 1545, the upper 30 m of the structure collapsed after an earthquake, and shortly thereafter, in 1551, the Emerald Buddha was moved to Luang Prabang. In the early 1990s the chedi was reconstructed, financed by UNESCO and the Japanese government. However the result is somewhat controversial, as some claim the new elements are in Central Thai style, not Lanna style.
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Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep is a Theravada Buddhist temple in Chiang Mai Province, Thailand. The temple is often referred to as "Doi Suthep" although... this is actually the name of the mountain it is located on. The temple is located 15 km from the city of Chiang Mai and is a sacred site to many Thai people. From the temple impressive views of Chiang Mai can be seen and it remains a popular destination of foreign visitors. The original founding of the temple remains a legend and there are a few varied versions. The temple is said to have been founded in 1383 when the first chedi was built. Over time the temple has expanded, and been made to look more extravagant with many more holy shrines added. A road to the temple was first built in 1935. According to legend, a monk named Sumanathera from Sukhothai had a dream; in this vision he was told to go to Pang Cha and look for a relic. Sumanathera ventured to Pang Cha and is said to have found a bone, which many claim was Buddha's shoulder bone. The relic displayed magical powers; it glowed, it was able to vanish, it could move itself and replicate itself.
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Vonthongchai Intarawat is a Thai singer-songwriter and the runner-up of the 4th season of reality talent show True Visions's Academy Fantasia.... Vonthongchai Intarawat or Tol was born in Chiang Mai, Thailand. He studied at Anubaan Chiang Mai School, Yupparaj Wittayalai School, and then the Faculty of Law in Payap University in Chiang Mai. He is a junior-year student but dropping it for the reality show Academy Fantasia competition in order to pursue his dream of becoming a singer. Intarawat has been involved with music since he was a child. As Intarawat’s father had been a musician and songwriter, Intarawat was highly encouraged to learn playing many musical instruments. At the age of 7, he was first introduced to play electone. Later on, with Intarawat’s good sense of music and personal talent, he can altogether play piano, guitar, bass guitar, violin, drum and flute. By this reason, he is now well known for the ability to identify the frequency of specific musical tone or absolute pitch.
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