The Reliquary in Chiang Mai, a photo from Chiang Mai, North

Photographer's Note

Wat Chedi Luang , as many would point out, is the icon of the Northern Thailand city of Chiang Mai.

This Buddhist temple was built in 1391 during the reign of King Saen Muang Ma, 8th ruler of the Mengrai dynasty. He intended the structure to house the ashes of his father, Ku Na. Appropriately, the site was designated as a 'ku luang' instead of a chedi since it was not intended to house relics of the Buddha.

The massive reliquary was expanded over the centuries, until it reached its final form in 1475, when King Tilokaraj made it the home of the Emerald Buddha, the most important cultural treasure in Thailand. At one point the reliquary--which had come to be known as a chedi--was 144 feet wide and 282 feet tall. Unfortunately, the pagoda was heavily damaged in the 1545 earthquake

In the early 1990s the chedi was reconstructed, financed by UNESCO and the Japanese government. The ruined brick chedi wasn’t reconstructed since apparently no-one is sure what it was supposed to look like. Presently it rises to about 60m in height, with a 44m (144 ft.) wide base. On it’s four sides, are niches approached by a monumental stairway guarded by stone nagas (mythical snakes). Elephants stand guard midway up the platform. The pristine new brick work of the main chamber contrasts oddly with the ramshackle upper section and the new elephant statues, to some, borders on the tacky but it is an interesting spot overall.

The most common picture of Wat Chedi Luang is from this angle, which shows the ruined top of the chedi. However I chose to show the chedi from this angle focusing on the serene statue of Buddha.

papagolf21, Gigidusud, ChrisJ, pierrefonds, Kamilutka, danos, Graal, pajaran, jhm, josepmarin, adores ha contrassegnato questa nota come utile

Critiques | Translate

papagolf21 (152607) 2013-03-11 3:46

Bonjour, cher ami Angshu,
Une réussite supplémentaire à mettre au crédit du photographe.
Le sujet est parfaitement mis en valeur.
La note d'accompagnement apprend beaucoup.
Très bonne journée.
Amitiés.
Philippe

Gigidusud (21679) 2013-03-11 3:47

Hello Angshu,
Great POV on this beautiful temple,nice architectural details and well framed.Well done!
Thanks for sharing,
Ghislaine.

ChrisJ (172436) 2013-03-11 4:36

Hello Angshu,

I have been to this Wat in Chiang Mai. I like the symmetry here with the naga staircases and the perspective leading back up to the seated gold Buddha at the top. Fantastic colour, sharpness & saturation. Not sure about the vignette top left. Tfs!

Sergiom (117241) 2013-03-11 5:17

Bonjour Angshuman,

J'aime beaucoup cette contre plongée qui donne beaucoup d'ampleur à l'ensemble. L'image est très symétrique et bien composée avec les bouddhas en plein centre.

Amicalement

Serge

pierrefonds (115624) 2013-03-11 5:21

Hi Angshuman,

The point of view from the bottom toward the top is giving perspective to the composition. It is also showing the details and colors of the Wat Chedi Luang. The good luminosity is making the colors to stand out. Have a nice day.

Pierre

Kamilutka (8107) 2013-03-11 8:12

hello,
this POV makes me almost feel like a pilgrim to the holy place. Good idea to shoot this place from the "frog perspective". I also like in this case the symmetrical composition - seems to be more natural. The golden statue is very well outlined and catches the eye immediately. Great colors.
Thanks for sharing
Kamila

danos (110407) 2013-03-12 0:23

Hello Angshu,
very nice the view as the presentation of this Wat with the serene statue of Buddha to dominating the facate of it.I like the brilliant light and the colour management as the clarity and the beauty of the scene.

Regards,Danos

Graal (103040) 2013-03-12 0:57

Hi Angshuman,
very nice symmetric composition and presentation of old temple. Interesting view with Buddha statues in center. Well informations in note. Photo I like.
Have a nice day.
Aleksander

hidibyendu (929) 2013-03-12 2:37

Hi Angshu,
What I like most about this picture is the POV.
Very nice colors and good sharpness.
The sky is pale here which is not in your hand.
TFS
Dibyendu

pajaran (117137) 2013-03-12 2:46

Dobar dan.
Vrlo interesantan i dobar tekst o starom Hramu, sa datim podacima i istorijom ...
Lep pogled na Hram ...
Dobar snimak, kontrast, lepe boje.
Dobar rad sa lepom fotografijom u radionici.
Lepo pokazano.
Imajte lep dan, sve najbolje.
Paja.

Good day.
Very interesting and good article on the old temple, with the given data and history ...
A nice view of the Temple ...
Good shot, contrast, beautiful color.
Good work with the beautiful photography workshop.
Nice shown.
Have a nice day, all the best.
Paja.

jhm (211738) 2013-03-12 4:23

Hello Angshu,

You took these picture out of the low position, this gives really a special feeling.
With a view on the Buddha statue in yellow gold color.
Excellent composition, nice captured.
Very well done, TFS.

Best regards,
John

Nicou (193814) 2013-03-12 5:58

Hello

Quelle vue sur ce temple superbe avec le bouddha en dorure, quel cadrage de bas en haut et effet merveilleux détail et photo.
Bravo et amitié

Nicou

mohammad_H (10178) 2013-03-12 7:38

hello
Display is very beautiful, attractive and eye-catching, good clarity with various colors, beautiful frame, good evening

Fis2 (172023) 2013-03-12 9:49

Witaj Angshu!
Interesting architecture.
Curious POV and composition.
Lovely colors and light.
Well done.
Good night.
Krzysztof

josepmarin (59385) 2013-03-12 11:20

Namaste, my friend Angshuman,
a good low-angle shot here, with a dynamic perspective of the Buddha statue and the temple, which stand out efficiently on the sky.
I like the power of the colors and the sharpness of the image, which has a nice graphical wealth.
A splendid work for to share with us the marvels of the mankind.
Best wishes,
Josep

everlasting (20024) 2013-03-13 4:58

I love the symmetry here and your well chosen pov. The light certainly works in your favor

mkamionka (75197) 2013-03-14 13:54

Hi Angshu,
I like very much this frontal symmetry. It makes a perfect postcard picture. The Buddha is nicely framed with all the details of the architecture. Relatively shallow depth of the field allows to focus our attention on the main statue leaving the other parts relatively soft. Having the wide open aperture resulted in the darker corners which creates an effect of an old photograph. Very nice result, great idea!
M

abmdsudi (95869) 2013-03-15 23:50

Namste Angshu
This soaring high temple looks so impressive and the massive edifice is especially atmospheric in its natural colors tones. The position of the temple placed just right for a nice composition and impressive symmetry this really makes you appreciate the amount of work involved to build this majestic structure. You captured the amazing detail beautifully. Very well done, just awesome. Congrats
Warm regards

adores (46979) 2013-03-17 16:19

Hi Angshuman!
A really interesting monument! I've been there by the end of the day but I haven't checked those photos yet. The pov may be common, but I like it and it was a good idea to put the focus on the Buddha in foreground.

siudzi (34141) 2013-10-29 13:50

Hello Angshu,
This is truly elegant and beautiful capture taken with symmetrical composition which fits here very well. The golden statues made the scene eye-catching and paid our attention perfectly to the center of the shot. Excellent work! Well done.

Best,
Gosia