Chedi Chet Yod (The Seven-Spired Pagoda), Chiang Mai

Chedi Chet Yod is situated at Wat Photaram Mahawihan, a monastery known as Wat Chedi Chet Yod, in Chiang Mai Province. The main body of the chedi is a cave-like rectangular hall 10 meters wide and 22 meters deep. The front portal is a key stone arch facing the east. Inside the cave is a seated Buddha. Gap between the walls lead to covered passageways up to the roof of the hall. On the roof stand five chedi towers on square bases which are modeled after the great tower at Bodhi Gaya, India. The largest stupa stands in the middle while the four smaller towers stand on the corners. Two other round-shaped chedi, standing on bases decorated with stucco motifs, are made of laterite.
As history relates, the monument was initially built in the time of King Tilokarat, the King of Lanna (1442-1487 A.D.). He sent an official, Muen Dam Phra Khot (Dam) to copy the stupa at Bodhi Gaya in India, in 1455 A.D. The aesthetic significance can be seen from the stucco motifs of figures of celestial beings on the base walls, and of ornaments decorated on the door frames. They are truly cultural heritages of ancient Lanna that still exist today.