Tha-Style Pagoda of Wat Ku Tao, Chiang Saen: A Cosmological Symbol and Traces of Chinese Influence in Lanna Buddhist Art

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the Tha-style pagoda of Wat Ku Tao, Chiang Saen, Chiang Rai Province, with two principal objectives: 1) to examine the architectural characteristics of the pagoda and to compare them with Chinese-influenced pagoda forms in other regions, and 2) to analyze the relationship between architectural form and Buddhist cosmological symbolism as embodied in the Tha-style pagoda of Wat Ku Tao, Chiang Saen.

The findings indicate that the Tha-style pagoda of Wat Ku Tao, which is assumed to have been constructed during the reign of King Yot Chiang Rai (ca. 1488–1497 CE), may have emerged as a result of cultural exchange with China during a period when the Lanna Kingdom maintained close relations with the Ming Dynasty. One significant piece of evidence appears in the Ming Shilu (Ming Veritable Records), which records that an envoy from Chiang Mai travelled to the Ming imperial court to request official recognition of King Yot Chiang Rai as the successor to King Tilokaraj. In addition, the study examines the cosmological concepts embodied in the architectural components of the Chinese-style pagoda of Wat Ku Tao, Chiang Saen, which can be analytically classified into four components: 1) the base corresponds to the kāmāvacara (sensual) realms — encompassing the four animal realms, the human realm, and the six deva realms — domains still bound to sense objects (form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and mental phenomena; dhamma); 2) the multi-tiered body signifies the rūpāvacara (form) realms (sixteen) and the arūpāvacara (formless) realms (four), associated with brahmic meditative attainments; 3) the spire symbolizes the lokuttara-bhūmi, the supramundane state attained by noble persons (ariya-puggala) who have realized the Path, Fruition, and nibbāna; and 4) the dewdrop finial at the apex represents anupādisesa-nibbāna — the final cessation of defilements and complete liberation from saṃsāra.

Interpreting the Lanna Tha-style pagoda in this way reveals it as a cultural medium that links indigenous cosmological beliefs with foreign architectural influences. Such interpretation deepens our understanding of Lanna Buddhist art and offers meaningful guidance for the conservation and restoration of its architectural heritage.