Ku Phi Ba Temple (abandoned)

Terrain

General Condition

The ancient site of Wat Ku Phi Ba (abandoned) is located outside Chiang Mai city on the west side. It is about 3.5 kilometers west of Chiang Mai city. The present area is a forest on the eastern slope of Doi Suthep. Located in the area of ​​the Doi Suthep Forest Conservation Development and Promotion Station and Doi Suthep Non-Hunting Area, Village No. 3, Suthep Subdistrict, Mueang District, Chiang Mai Province The archaeological site has the following territory:

North facing, adjacent to Doi Suthep Wildlife Hunting District Officer's house.

The south is adjacent to the hillside slope area.

The east is adjacent to the hillside slope area.

The west is adjacent to the residence of Doi Suthep Non-Hunting Area.

Height above mean sea level

Waterway

Ping River

Geological conditions

The ancient site is located at the foot of Doi Suthep Mountain. Sediment deposition from convective sediments and silt sediments at the foothills

Doi Suthep-Pui mountain range consists of many types of metamorphic rocks. and granite igneous rocks, which the geological name is called They are called "complex rock groups" and are presumed to have reached the Precambrian era, about 600 million years ago. Marble, with granite and pegmatite insets at the base and center of the mountain ranges of Cambrian-aged quartzite and limestone. The Ordovician age overlaps the southern part of Doi Suthep and Brichinda Cave at the foot of Doi Inthanon.

Archaeological Era

era/culture

Archaeological age

Types of archaeological sites

archaeological essence

Ku Phi Crazy Ancient Ruins It is the name used today. The origin and documentation of this temple are not clearly identified. It is now an abandoned temple located within the area of ​​the Royal Forest Department at the foot of Doi Suthep. which is assumed to be the location of the Aranyawasi Temple group or the forest temple of Chiang Mai.

Fine Arts Office No. 8, Chiang Mai, Fine Arts Department excavated, excavated and restored the ancient monument of Wat Ku Phi Ba in 2011 from the excavation and excavation of archaeological evidence as follows:

1. Archaeological site number 1 is assumed to be the base of the pagoda. It is a square base, size 6.30 x 6.30 meters, stacked in two tiers, supporting a 3-storey stacked octagonal board base, with the lower base having dimensions of 4.75 x 4.75 meters. The current base of this chedi remains approximately 2.10 meters in height from The architectural style found is assumed to be a bell-shaped chedi with a two-tiered square base supporting a three-tiered set of octagonal bases. which may be a set of base boards or a set of base lotus The part of the bell-shaped lotus or the lotus-shaped lotus that supports the round bell This octagonal bell-shaped chedi was popularly built in the latter part of the 21st Buddhist century.
2. Archaeological site number 2 is assumed to be the base of the chedi or the altar of the Buddha image. It is a square brick line, size 2.50 x 2.50 meters, about 25 – 30 centimeters high. There are traces of brick paving around at the west and northwest corners.

Also in the excavation The excavation also found artifacts such as fragments of pottery at the site of the San Kamphaeng kiln and fragments of pottery from China's Ming and Qing dynasties. Set the age around the 21st Buddhist century down.

From the preliminary conclusions, it is assumed that this ancient site is in the latter part of the 21st Buddhist century (The Office of Fine Arts 8, Chiang Mai 2011 :101-103).