Wat Ku Tao

Chiang Mai


Behind the Muang Chiang Mai sports stadium, photogenic, 1631 Wat Ku Tao incorporates many Burmese and Confucian elements. The distinctive chedi is said to resemble a stack of watermelons, hence the name (tao means 'melon' in the northern Thai dialect). Contained inside are the ashes of Tharawadi Min, son of the Burmese king Bayinnaung, who ruled over Lanna from 1578 to 1597.


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