﻿HUXTIXG 
  THE 
  CHAULMOOGRA 
  TREE 
  

  

  249 
  

  

  activity 
  displayed 
  in 
  the 
  erection 
  of 
  new 
  

   temples. 
  

  

  Wat 
  Phra 
  Sing, 
  second 
  in 
  importance, 
  

   was 
  built 
  about 
  a 
  hundred 
  years 
  ago. 
  The 
  

   main 
  building 
  is 
  now 
  in 
  such 
  a 
  dilapidated 
  

   state 
  that 
  entrance 
  to 
  it 
  is 
  prohibited. 
  

   Two 
  leogryphs 
  of 
  brick 
  and 
  mortar 
  guard 
  

   the 
  entrance 
  to 
  the 
  grounds 
  (see 
  page 
  258), 
  

   in 
  which 
  are 
  several 
  buildings 
  besides 
  the 
  

   main 
  wat. 
  In 
  the 
  rear 
  is 
  a 
  small 
  wat 
  in 
  

   much 
  better 
  repair 
  than 
  the 
  main 
  building. 
  

   The 
  interior 
  is 
  decorated 
  with 
  frescoes, 
  

   and 
  the 
  altar, 
  on 
  which 
  three 
  Buddhas 
  are 
  

   seated, 
  is 
  heavily 
  gilded. 
  

  

  TEMPLE 
  ROOF 
  TILES 
  REMOVED 
  TO 
  GET 
  A 
  

   PHOTOGRAPH 
  

  

  I 
  took 
  photographs 
  of 
  the 
  mural 
  fres- 
  

   coes, 
  but, 
  as 
  the 
  light 
  was 
  rather 
  dull, 
  the 
  

   head 
  priest 
  of 
  the 
  temple, 
  whom 
  I 
  photo- 
  

   graphed 
  at 
  the 
  entrance 
  near 
  the 
  white 
  

   dragon 
  (see 
  page 
  253), 
  suggested 
  that 
  

   a 
  number 
  of 
  tiles 
  should 
  be 
  removed 
  from 
  

   the 
  roof 
  to 
  make 
  the 
  lighting 
  effect 
  more 
  

   even. 
  "Whereupon 
  a 
  young 
  priest 
  climbed 
  

   to 
  the 
  roof 
  and 
  removed 
  a 
  dozen 
  tiles 
  and 
  

   I 
  was 
  enabled 
  to 
  photograph 
  all 
  the 
  vari- 
  

   ous 
  panels, 
  one 
  representing 
  the 
  story 
  of 
  

   the 
  God 
  of 
  the 
  Magic 
  Flute. 
  

  

  To 
  the 
  right 
  of 
  this 
  building 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  

   less 
  pretentious 
  structure, 
  where 
  the 
  

   priests 
  take 
  their 
  vows 
  (see 
  page 
  258). 
  

   We 
  spied 
  a 
  long, 
  narrow 
  box 
  in 
  which 
  

   was 
  a 
  roll 
  about 
  twenty-five 
  feet 
  long 
  and 
  

   fifteen 
  feet 
  wide, 
  on 
  which 
  was 
  painted 
  

   the 
  figure 
  of 
  a 
  huge 
  Buddha 
  on 
  a 
  lotus 
  

   flower. 
  We 
  were 
  informed 
  by 
  our 
  

   friendly 
  priest 
  that 
  in 
  times 
  of 
  severe 
  

   drought 
  this 
  picture 
  is 
  taken 
  to 
  the 
  top 
  

   of 
  Doi 
  Sootep, 
  a 
  sacred 
  mountain, 
  where 
  

   a 
  magnificent 
  wat 
  was 
  erected 
  many 
  years 
  

   ago, 
  and 
  there, 
  to 
  the 
  accompaniment 
  of 
  

   incantations, 
  it 
  is 
  held 
  on 
  high 
  by 
  priests, 
  

   and 
  invariably 
  rain 
  descends 
  to 
  refresh 
  

   man 
  and 
  beast 
  and 
  save 
  the 
  rice 
  crops. 
  

  

  Very 
  interesting 
  are 
  the 
  libraries 
  in 
  

   every 
  temple 
  compound. 
  They 
  are 
  the 
  

   repository 
  of 
  Buddhist 
  scriptures 
  writ- 
  

   ten 
  by 
  some 
  devout 
  hand 
  with 
  brass 
  or 
  

   iron 
  stiles 
  on 
  the 
  leaf 
  segments 
  of 
  the 
  

   Talipot 
  palm. 
  These 
  palm-leaf 
  scriptures 
  

   are 
  carefully 
  wrapped, 
  usually 
  in 
  yellow 
  

   cotton 
  cloth 
  or 
  silk, 
  and 
  placed 
  in 
  these 
  

   libraries 
  as 
  a 
  meritorious 
  act. 
  They 
  are 
  

   read 
  only 
  rarely 
  and 
  on 
  special 
  occasions. 
  

   Like 
  the 
  temples, 
  the 
  libraries 
  are 
  rarely 
  

   repaired 
  (see 
  page 
  256). 
  

  

  Chiengmai 
  was 
  founded 
  more 
  than 
  600 
  

   years 
  ago. 
  It 
  soon 
  gained 
  in 
  importance 
  

   and 
  attracted 
  the 
  attention 
  of 
  the 
  Burmese 
  

   and 
  the 
  Shans, 
  who 
  alternately 
  conquered 
  

   and 
  sacked 
  it. 
  

  

  THE 
  RAILROAD 
  IS 
  REVIVING 
  CHIENGMAI 
  

  

  A 
  hundred 
  years 
  ago 
  several 
  princes, 
  

   all 
  brothers, 
  came 
  from 
  Lakon, 
  founded 
  

   the 
  last 
  Lao 
  dynasty, 
  and 
  raised 
  Chieng- 
  

   mai 
  to 
  its 
  former 
  importance, 
  which 
  has 
  

   greatly 
  advanced 
  under 
  the 
  wise 
  rule 
  and 
  

   guidance 
  of 
  the 
  Siamese 
  Government. 
  

  

  The 
  railway 
  is 
  soon 
  to 
  connect 
  Chieng- 
  

   mai 
  with 
  Bangkok, 
  and 
  construction 
  trains 
  

   have 
  already 
  reached 
  this 
  north 
  Siam 
  out- 
  

   post. 
  When 
  a 
  regular 
  service 
  is 
  estab- 
  

   lished, 
  within 
  the 
  next 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  years, 
  

   the 
  rich 
  Meh 
  Ping 
  Valley 
  will 
  be 
  opened 
  

   for 
  development. 
  The 
  forests 
  of 
  this 
  re- 
  

   gion 
  abound 
  in 
  teak, 
  the 
  logs 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  

   now 
  floated 
  down 
  the 
  Meh 
  Ping 
  River 
  

   through 
  gorges 
  and 
  over 
  rapids 
  which 
  

   necessitate 
  the 
  employment 
  of 
  elephants 
  

   to 
  dislodge 
  them 
  from 
  the 
  rocks 
  and 
  

   banks 
  of 
  the 
  river. 
  

  

  The 
  north 
  is 
  rich 
  and 
  life 
  is 
  easy. 
  

   Many 
  claim 
  that 
  the 
  railway, 
  while 
  a 
  

   great 
  blessing, 
  will 
  destroy 
  the 
  quaintness 
  

   and 
  charm 
  of 
  the 
  city. 
  It 
  is 
  as 
  yet 
  un- 
  

   trodden 
  by 
  tourists, 
  for 
  there 
  are 
  neither 
  

   hotels 
  nor 
  boarding 
  - 
  houses, 
  and 
  the 
  

   visitor 
  is 
  obliged 
  to 
  accept 
  the 
  generous 
  

   hospitality 
  of 
  the 
  American 
  Mission. 
  

  

  DOI 
  SOOTEP, 
  CHIEXGMAI'S 
  SACRED 
  

   MOUNTAIN 
  

  

  The 
  chief 
  point 
  of 
  interest 
  in 
  the 
  vi- 
  

   cinity 
  of 
  Chiengmai 
  is 
  Doi 
  Sootep. 
  It 
  is 
  

   reached 
  by 
  a 
  splendid 
  road, 
  which 
  leads 
  

   through 
  old 
  gates 
  to 
  the 
  ruined 
  wall 
  of 
  

   the 
  ancient 
  city, 
  with 
  its 
  moat 
  filled 
  with 
  

   lotus 
  flowers, 
  and 
  across 
  rice 
  fields 
  cov- 
  

   ered 
  with 
  temple 
  ruins, 
  now 
  the 
  habitat 
  of 
  

   snakes 
  and 
  lizards 
  and 
  overgrown 
  with 
  

   trees 
  and 
  vines. 
  We 
  pass 
  the 
  only 
  re- 
  

   maining 
  glory 
  of 
  an 
  ancient 
  dynasty, 
  nu- 
  

   merous 
  tombs 
  of 
  former 
  Lao 
  princes. 
  

   Their 
  ashes 
  are 
  buried 
  under 
  splendid 
  

   monuments, 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  central 
  and 
  

   largest 
  marks 
  the 
  spot 
  where 
  sleeps 
  cruel 
  

   Kowilarat, 
  the 
  last 
  Lao 
  king. 
  

  

  Next 
  to 
  Wat 
  Suan 
  Dork 
  (literally, 
  

   flower 
  garden), 
  as 
  the 
  mausoleum 
  ground 
  

   is 
  called, 
  is 
  a 
  temple 
  sufficiently 
  spared 
  by 
  

   the 
  elements 
  and 
  time 
  to 
  bear 
  witness 
  to 
  

   its 
  former 
  glory. 
  Its 
  gates 
  of 
  stone 
  re- 
  

  

  