Improvised Free Walking Tour of Chiang Mai: Stop 3: Wat Chiang Man

Why choose an ordinary temple when you can choose one adorned with elephants?
Teaser alert: elephant topiary coming up.

Next destination, tucked away in the northeast corner of the historic square section of Chiang Mai, is the wat known as Wat Chiang Man.

Go down this street:

But not this street: 

It goes past Wat Chiang Man, so you might think you're on the right street, but there's no entrance into Wat Chiang Man from this street, so it's a fraud.  

That is taken through a whole in the chain link fence.  From fraud street, you can look into the temple complex, but you can't get into it.  Don't choose wrongly, because if you choose wisely, if you choose the correct street, this is your reward:

Yes. Sign says "Wat Chieng Mun."  English language rendering of Thai can be somewhat flexible.  So don't sweat the small stuff.  Especially when there will be elephant topiary coming up.

Of course there is a reclining Buddha.

The reclining buddha is the Tuesday Buddha.  There is a buddha for every day of the week and Tuesday is the day to recline.

This is your Saturday Buddha:

Thai people are very devout in their Buddhism, so I am not being flippant here.  I am being respectful.  Albeit in a somewhat flippant manner.

Part of the reason I am not really being flippant is that -- one thing I noticed touring all these temples -- are the parallels between Buddhism and Catholicism.  

And not just this painting:

This is significant to me, although probably not to anyone else.  I saw this and it reminded me of the story of my own personal patron saint -- Saint Raymond of Penyafort -- who fled the Island of Majorca to return to Barcelona to confront the Spanish King about some heresy -- kings, being politicians, were always being heretical back then -- using his cloak as a sailboat.  Something in that remind me of that story of one of the miracles of Saint Raymond Penyafort.

Anyway, getting back to the parallels between Catholicism and Buddhism:

Beautiful, ornate (and often golden) worship centers, whether that be a temple or a church or cathedral.

There also is the iconography.  Lots of Buddhas for one;  lots of Marys and Christ figures for the other.

And Buddhism and Catholicism are probably the religions with the most emphasis on monks and the monastic life.

The parallels are not exact, but there are parallels.  Buddhism does have more elephants, however.  Got to give it to them on that count.

I am not familiar with any Catholic church anywhere having elephant topiary.

I hope you are not disappointed that this topiary carved into the shape of elephants.

And not topiary cut by elephants.  Self portrait in green, perhaps?

This wat may have the highest concentration of elephant statuary in all of Chiang Mai, at least what I've seen so far.  Maybe a larger temple complex has more elephant statues and topiary, but in terms of elephants per square foot, Wat Chiang Man has got to have the others beat.

I do believe, however, that in dragons, we Catholics fight the Buddhists to a draw.

Two more major temple complexes to go, but only the leg strength for one more today.