Wat Chedi Luang, Chiang Mai - Thailand

In its day, Wat Chedi Luang must have been the most impressive temple in Chiang Mai. Built about 600 years ago, the huge chedi which gave the temple its name (the name of the temple translates to "royal pagoda") must have soared high above the surrounding city. We say "must have" because the chedi was mostly destroyed within a few hundred years of its construction. Some say it was an earthquake in the 17th century that did the deed; others say it was King Taksin's cannons firing on the city to chase out the Burmese in the 18th century.The pagoda has been partially reconstructed, but the spire has not been recreated since nobody can be sure what it looked like.
Reproduction of the Emerald Buddha in the Eastern niche of the chedi.
Wat Chedi Luang was also important because for a short time it housed the most important object in Thailand, the Emerald Buddha. The Emerald Buddha is now in its own temple in Bangkok, but a few years ago the king donated a replica to be placed in the eastern niche of the chedi.