Chiang Mai National Museum
| Chiang Mai National Museum is located in the northern part of the city, right next to Wat Chet Yot on the ‘Superway’ road, where it appears as a beautiful typical Thai-style building with a traditional Lanna-style rooftop. |
|
A tourist can board a tuk-tuk from the city center to reach the museum. The museum remains open from Wednesdays to Sundays (excluding Monday, Tuesday and other national holidays). The timings are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tourists are charged 30 Bahts to gain entry into the museum.
The museum offers an opportunity to learn about the ancient Lanna culture in an interesting way. The Fine Arts Department has designated the Chiang Mai National Museum as a place for preserving art and culture of Northern Thailand and the Lanna Kingdom. It is considered as the center for education, and conveys a historical overview of the Lanna Kingdom, Thai people and the numerous hill tribes.
The museum houses a collection of items from the Lanna era, which provides an insight to the visitors about the history of North Thailand and the Kingdom of Lanna. In the museum, Lanna Thai works of art, ancient images of Lord Buddha, war weapons, ancient jewelry, kilns (and the ceramics excavated from them) and many other items from the 14th century are put on display.
In the floor downstairs, various documents are put on display, which speak about the history of northern Thailand from Pre-Neolithic times to the present age. The second floor of the museum exclusively displays art and craft items of the Lanna era. Apart from this, there is another section in the same floor focusing on the ancient farming equipment. The entire floor is decorated with interesting images and photographs, wood carvings and textiles produced during that period. The remarkable bronze and gold jewelry are preserved and displayed in showcases. Besides the main display areas, there is cozy rest area for the visitors to relax during their visit.
The Chiang Mai National Museum is a “must-see” for all tourists visiting Chiang Mai if they wish to learn about the ancient Lanna history and lifestyle of Thai people who lived in this beautiful region during the 14th and 16th century.
|
