The Chamadevi temple is outside the ancient walls on the west side of Lamphun Province. The tip of the principal chedi or Ku had broke off so the people called it Ku Kut (chedi with broken tip).
The principal chedi of the temple is the Suwannachangkot Chedi. Many legends such as the Chamadeviwong and Munlasasana have pointed out the same information that Phramahantayasa the son of Queen Chamadevi had the chedi built in order to store his mothers (the queen) ashes. It was covered with gold with Buddha images residing in arched bays which relates to its name Suwannachangkot chedi. The legend about Queen Chamadevi marked its origin differently by adding that besides the queens ashes, her mirror and hair comb was stored there as well. Moreover when her auspicious elephant passed away, its ivory was also stored under her ashes.
The chedi underwent many repairs and renovations. For example, Phrachao Sapphasit inscription from around the 17th Century B.E. remarked that Phrachao Sapphasit had renovated it after it was shaken down by a big earthquake.
The Suwannachangkot Chedi was built of laterite bricks into a 5 tiered castle shape chedi. The chedi has a thick unadorned square base with tiers containing three Buddha image bays on each level with a Buddha image in each bay, a total of 60 images. On each corner of the tires sat small stupas called stupikas. Scholars believe that the Buddha images in the bays were a mixture of Dvaravati, Khmer, the Pala Indian and folk styles. The mixtures indicate that the area of the upper Ping River basin and the central Thai River basin had a long relationship, beginning from at least the 17th Century B.E.
References
Phraphotirangsi. (2007). Chamadeviwong Phongsawadan Nakhon Hariphunchai (Chamadeviwong the Hariphunchai chronicles).
(in Thai). Bangkok: Amarin Printing and Publising.
Sommai Premchit (1976). Tamnan Mulasasana Wat Pa Daeng (The Mulasasana Chronicles, Wat Pa Daeng).(in Thai).
Chiang Mai: Faculty of Social Science, Chiang Mai University.
Woraran Boonyasuratna. (2008). Punpan pradap Suwannachangkot (Stuccos on the Suwannachangkot). From the Pleistocene Epoch to Lanna. (in Thai). Retrieved May 10, 2008 from
http://www.soc.cmu.ac.th/~nac/lanna/content.html
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