WAT KLANG WIANG

This superb Lanna style temple, with its rich red and gold decorations, is worth a visit. It dates from the 15th century and houses the sacred pillar of the city: "Lak Muang" In ancient times, when a new town was founded, a monument was erected with this pillar at its centre, a phallic symbol representing power and fertility, and therefore prosperity, and which became a sacred place, the object of offerings. The majority of the structures date from the 20th century, however, as a violent storm destroyed the temple in 1903.