Chedi Khao (เจดีย์ขาว)

Thai. ‘White Pagoda’. Name of a small white stupa located along the Ping River in Chiang Mai. It is about 8 meter tall, cone-shaped and has a round base. Its origin is unclear, yet according to a legend, a Burmese King surrounded Chiang Mai with his army. To avoid war, the Burmese King agreed with the ruler of Chiang Mai to let their best divers compete in a contest to see whom of the divers could stay under water the longest, and the army of the winning diver would concede to the other party, and thus the Burmeses army would retreat if their diver lost the contest. An old man known as Lung or ‘Uncle’ Piang (ลุงเพียง/เปียง) volunteered to compete and the ruler of Chiang Mai accepted him. The two rulers agreed to hold the competition near the area where the chedi now stands. They had two poles posted at a distance in the Ping River. The two army commanders were seated as the divers waited at the post. Then, the generals signaled for the contestants to start diving. A long time passed and the people started to feel uneasy. Finally, one of the divers came up to breath. It was the Burmese delegate. The people of Chiang Mai were relieved and waited for their hero to surface and declare victory. As time passed it became clear that Chiang Mai had won the competition, so its ruler sent his men down to inform Lung Piang. However, when the men returned they reported that the old man had tied himself to the post and had by now drowned, sacrificing himself for the city. As a tribute to Lung Piang's bravery and sacrifice, the ruler thus had the white chedi built at the bank of the Ping River. Nowadays, this landmark memorial serves as a traffic roundabout. See MAP. 回