A Bit About Chiang Rai    เมืองเชียงราย

 

 Chiang Rai is in the northernmost  part  of  Thailand,  only 60km from Myanmar and Laos and is often refered to as the Gateway to the Golden Triangle. 

It is 860 km north of Bangkok and about 200km northeast of Chiang Mai. It is only 62 km from the Thai/Myanmar border.

 

The city has a definite Lanna, or Northern Thai feel to it and is quite different than Chiang Mai. Chiang Rai is slower paced, has a greater mix of ethnicities, being closer to the Golden Triangle. The food is far spicier in the North as well.

• The photo is of the King Mengrai Monument, downtown

King Mangrai  founded the city in 1262 and Chiang Rai became the capital of the Mangrai Empire. Later, Chiang Rai was conquered by Burma and remained under Burmese rule for several hundred years. In 1786  Chiang Rai became an outpost of  Chiang Mai rulers.Chiang Mai was taken over by the Siam in 1899 and Chiang Rai  made a province of Thailand in 1933.

The Phra Kaeo, or Emerald Buddha is the most revered Buddha statue in Thailand. It is said to have been discovered in 1432,  during the Mangrai dynasty (1402–144) when an earthquake split the Chedi at Wat Phra Kaeo in Chiang Rai. The beautiful jade figure was then seen concealed within. Others say the Emerald Buddha was covered in mud just before invaders came to plunder. and it wasn't until years later that the mud cracked and the jade statue was revealed. A replica is in Chiang Rai, while the real one is kept in Bangkok.

The Mae Kok river runs through town and the 4 bridges  all run North/South.. Most of the terrain surrounding Chiang Rai town is either flat or has moderate hills.  On the outskirts of town it gets pretty hilly and is home to several Hill Tribes such as the Karen, Akha, Lisu, Meo, and Muser.

Official Population count: According to the Thailand National Statistical Office, as of September 2010, Chiang Rai municipal district has a population of 199,699. With the city spreading outwards most residents give higher estimates. Chiang Rai City is the capital city and business center of the Chiang Rai Province, home to 1.1 million residents
 

• Bandaam Museum (AKA Black House or Black Temple

• Chiang Rai First Church, its largest, was built in 1914. It's Presbyterian.

• Wat Klong Wiang. Dating back to 1432, this is an excellent but little-visited temple showcasing Lanna-style at its best.

• Wat Ming Meuang Small temple housing the spirit of the city (ming meuang) in an exquisitely carved and decorated Lanna-style, almost Laotian wiharn.

• Wat Phra Kaeo This beautiful Buddhist temple is famous for having housed, in the 14th century, the Emerald Buddha, one of the most famous Buddha images in Thailand.  The original is now housed in Bangkok in the temple of the same name, on the grounds of the Royal Palace.

• Wat Phra Sing used to house a major Buddha statue, the Phra Buddha Sihing, which is now enshrined in Chiang Mai. Like Wat Phra Kaeo, the temple now houses a replica instead

• Wat Phra That Doi Chom  contains what is believed to be the oldest holy relic even before King Mengrai built Chiang Rai. The chedi containing the holy relic was probably renovated at the same time the town was being built. A major religious site in Chiang Rai
• White Temple, orWat Rong Khun This unique modern temple was designed and built by artist Chaloemchai Khositphiphat starting in 1998. A beautiful white ordination hall—Phra Ubosot—is decorated with silver glittering pieces of mirrors. There are large mural paintings of the Lord Buddha in different gestures. There are dragons, mythical creatures, and even a Michael Jacked figure, all created with white stuccodepitctions of  which are entirely made of white stucco.