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Gerry Gantt Nature & Scenic Photography | profile | all galleries >> Thailand ประเทศไทย >> Chiang Mai Prov. จังหวัดเชียงใหม่ >> Saraphi District, Chiang Mai Province, Thailand >> Wat Chang Kam or Wat Kan Thom tree view | thumbnails | slideshow | map

Wat Chang Kam or Wat Kan Thom

Wat Chang Kam or Wat Kan Thom, วัดช้างค้ำ หรือ วัดกานโถม, is located in Tambon Tha Wang Tan, Saraphi District, Chiang Mai Province, Thailand.

Wat Kan Thom was named after the builder of this temple whose name appears in several legends and chronicles. King Mangrai had the temple built in 1290 according to the Yonok chronicles. The chedi was 18 meters high with a 12 meters wide base. There were two-tiered niches for the 4 directions. The lower tier of each niche housed a seated Buddha image, the upper tier housed standing statues of Buddha’s disciples Mokala and Saribut; the God Indra and the Mother Goddess.

The Department of Fine Arts started the excavation of the temple in 1984 and found a viharn and a chedi of square structure with 4 arches and a pointed tip, situated on a low base. Terracotta Buddha plates of Hariphunchai style where found buried around the base of the vihara. The vihara and the chedi are estimated to be built around the 15th to 16th centuries. Another bell-shaped chedi is believed to have been renovated by a Burmese benefactor around the same time he renovated Wat Chedi Liam. This chedi featured elephants surrounding the base of the chedi, hence the temple was called by the locals Wat Chang Kam. (Information from Ayutthaya Historical Research.)

The following is from an historical marker at the temple:
Wat Kan Thome (Chang Kham): This temple consists of a Vihara (Wihan) facing the west and a Mandapa which is connected to the back of the Vihara and houses the Buddha image. The Yanok Chronicles note that King Mangrai built Wat Kan Thom in 1290 (B.E. 1831). There is a Chedi, which is 18 meters high with a basement (foundation) 12 meters wide. The Chedi has double niches in each compass direction. The lower niches contain seated Buddha images and the upper ones enshrine a standing Buddha image. There are also to followers of the Buddha, Mokalana and Saributra, Indra and Nang Torani or the Mother of Earth. In the area of the temple, there is Maha Phothi (Great Bodhi Tree) taken from Langka in the period of King Mangrai. Other important archeological articles are Hariphunchai Buddhist tablete and a red sandstone stela with three kinds of alphabet: Mon (about 1207-1307 A.D.), Mon and Thai (about 1277-1317 A.D.), and Sukothai - early Fakham of Lanna (about 1397 A.D.). The Department of fine arts excavated and restored this temple in 1984.

วัดกานโถม (ช้างค้ำ) โบราณเลถานวัดกานโถมประกอบดวยวิหาร หันหนัาไปทางทิศดะวนดก ด๊านหลังมีอาดาเชื่อมด่อออกไปมีลักษณะเป็นมณทป หลังวิหารเป็นที่ประดิษฐานพระพุทธรูป พงศาวดารโยนกระบุว่าพญามังรายโปรดใหัสร้างวัดกนโถมข็้น ในราว

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Wat Chang Kam Phra Wihan (DTHCM0407)
Wat Chang Kam Phra Wihan (DTHCM0407)
Wat Chang Kam Phra Wihan Interior (DTHCM0409)
Wat Chang Kam Phra Wihan Interior (DTHCM0409)
Wat Chang Kam Phra Wihan Buddha Images (DTHCM0410)
Wat Chang Kam Phra Wihan Buddha Images (DTHCM0410)
Wat Chang Kam Phra Wihan Window (DTHCM0412)
Wat Chang Kam Phra Wihan Window (DTHCM0412)
Wat Chang Kam Phra Chedi (DTHCM0413)
Wat Chang Kam Phra Chedi (DTHCM0413)
Wat Chang Kam Phra Chedi Pinnacle and Buddha Image (DTHCM0415)
Wat Chang Kam Phra Chedi Pinnacle and Buddha Image (DTHCM0415)
Wat Chang Kam Wihan of King Mangrai (DTHCM0416)
Wat Chang Kam Wihan of King Mangrai (DTHCM0416)
Wat Chang Kam Wihan of King Mangrai Interior (DTHCM0418)
Wat Chang Kam Wihan of King Mangrai Interior (DTHCM0418)
Wat Chang Kam Phra Ubosot (DTHCM0419)
Wat Chang Kam Phra Ubosot (DTHCM0419)
Wat Chang Kam Ho Tham (Library) (DTHCM0420)
Wat Chang Kam Ho Tham (Library) (DTHCM0420)
Wat Chang Kam Ho Tham Upper Level (DTHCM0421)
Wat Chang Kam Ho Tham Upper Level (DTHCM0421)
Wat Chang Kam Ho Tham Upper Level and Gable (DTHCM0422)
Wat Chang Kam Ho Tham Upper Level and Gable (DTHCM0422)
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