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  Wat Ket Karam

 

Thailand

The stupa of Wat Ket Karam in Chiang Mai, which houses a hair relic of the Buddha, known as Phrathat Ket Kaew Chulamanie. The temple is dedicated to people who were born in the Year of the Dog, according to the Chinese zodiac. It is unknown when this temple was built but records show that ordination ceremonies were already held here in the reign of Phaya Meuang Ket Klao (AD 1526-1538 and 1543-1545), while the stupa was renovated after it had collapsed in 1578.

 

Thus, at the base of the chedi are some statues of dogs and local people born in this zodiac year are expected to visit this temple at least once in their lifetime in order to make merit. In 2018, i.e. a Year of the Dog, this temple was publicized on a set of Thai postage stamps to celebrate Visakha Bucha, together with three other temples in northern Thailand that house Buddha relics and relate to other years of the zodiac.

 

  Wat Ket Karam

 

  Wat Ket Karam

 

Besides this, the main stupa has four staircases, one for each of the cardinal points and flanked with a pair of nagamakara (fig.), whose elongated bodies meet at each of the main corners of the stupa, where the end of their tails is held by a Garuda (fig.).

POSTAGE STAMP MAP LOCATION DIRECTIONS