The first king of the Lanna kingdom King Mangrai build Wat Chiang Man.
Wat Chiang Man was the first temple build in Chiang Mai and is located in the northeast corner inside the city walls.
King Mangrai build it on the location of the Lawa Peoples fortified city Wiang Nopburi.
The King used the Lawa city as a camp during the construction of Chiang Mai the new Lanna kingdom´s capital city.
The big Chedi with the elephant foundation is the oldest building in the temple complex.
In front of the main building at Wat Chiang Man, you will see 2 ladies selling small birds.
The idea is you buy the birds and set them free, it should bring good luck. You will find birds for sale in temples all over Thailand.
I do not know if it is true, but i have once heard stories where in the old days, the birds were given a little, opium together with the bird food so they would be dependent of opium.
In that way, the vendor selling the birds was sure the birds came back every time they were set free.
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