Wat Chedi Luang is dominated by an absence. The enormous brick chedi at its centre, begun in the late fourteenth century and enlarged into the tallest structure of the Lan Na capital, lost its upper section long ago, and what remains is a truncated mass of stepped terraces, elephant sculptures and empty niches - more eloquent, arguably, than the complete monument would have been. For a period it housed the Emerald Buddha, now in Bangkok. The film examines the chedi and the debates around its partial restoration, then turns to the rest of the compound: the assembly halls, the monks' quarters and the shrine of the city pillar, focus of the annual Inthakhin ceremony that asks protection for Chiang Mai. Filmed in 4K, with aerial coverage of the temple within the walled city. A key title in any Chiang Mai or Thai-temples collection.
