Wat Chet Yot

Wat Chet Yot, properly Wat Photharam Maha Wihan, was built in 1455 under King Tilokarat, who sent craftsmen to study the Mahabodhi temple at Bodh Gaya in India - the site of the Buddha's enlightenment - and had a version built here, with seven spires on a rectangular base, which is what chet yot means. In 1477 the eighth World Buddhist Council met at this temple to revise the Pali canon, one of the significant events in Theravada history, and Tilokarat's ashes are in a chedi in the grounds. The outer walls of the main structure carry stucco reliefs of seated and standing deva figures, weathered but substantially intact, and they are the reason to look closely - the modelling of the faces and jewellery is unusually fine and the figures are individually varied. The temple sits beside a busy road on the edge of the city, is free and unstaffed, and gets few visitors.

What you actually see

• The seven spires - the Bodh Gaya-derived form built in 1455.
• The stucco devas - weathered but fine relief figures on the outer walls.
• Tilokarat's chedi - the king's ashes in the grounds.
• The council site - where the eighth Buddhist Council met in 1477.

When to go

November to February. Any time; it is rarely busy. An hour covers it, and it is close to the National Museum.

Honest expectations

Beside a busy superhighway with traffic noise. Free and unstaffed with minimal interpretation. The stucco is weathered and needs looking at closely. Little shade.

Nearby

The Chiang Mai National Museum is adjacent; the old city is south-east.