The Navel City Pillar

Lak Mueang

Lak Mueang are City pillars found in most cities of Thailand. Usually housed in a shrine which is also believed to house Chao Pho Lak Mueang , the city spirit deity; it is held in high esteem by citizens....

 of Chiang Rai was constructed in 1987 in occasion of the 60 years birthday of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, and the 725 years celebration of the City of Chiang Rai

Chiang Rai

-Demographics:Official Population count: According to the Thailand National Statistical Office, as of September 2010, Chiang Rai municipal district has a population of 199,699...

 in northern Thailand

Thailand

Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...

.

The construction was supervised by Mr. Aram Aiem-arun, former governor of Chiang Rai and the project supported by the Social Research Institute of Chiang Mai University

Chiang Mai University

Chiang Mai University is a public research university in northern Thailand founded in 1964 with a strong emphasis on engineering, science, and agriculture. Its instructional mission includes undergraduate, graduate, professional and continuing education offered through resident instruction...

, Chiang Rai people, private sector as well as the German government.

The Navel City Pillar is located on the top of Doi Chom Thong (Chom Thong Hill) within the grounds of Wat Phra That Doi Chom Thong

Wat Phra That Doi Chom Thong

Wat Phra That Doi Chom Thong is located in Nakhon Chiang Rai, Amphoe Mueang, Chiang Rai Province, Thailand.-History:...

. The main pillar and 108 surrounding pillars were constructed in Khmer style “Banom Ba-Keang” based on the Lanna belief. The outside area covers with river and land, inner part comprises 6 tiers of the heaven (Catummaharajika, Tavatimsa, Yama, Tusita, Nimmanarati, and Paranimmitavasavatti) which are divided by the 5 important rivers of ancient legends (Ganges, Yamuna, Ajiravati, Sarabhu, and Mahi). The platform of the main pillar is made of marble which is divided into 3 tiers to imply the Rupabrahma, Arupabrahma, and Nirvana. The main pillar is located on a triangular base.

The width of the main pillar is 5 times of His Majesty’s fist and the height is the same with His Majesty’s height. Mr Singhkhum Somkrue is respected as an artisan who engraved these naval city pillars.

Nearby the Navel City Pillar, there is a “National Cultural Cell of Chiang Rai” constructed on January 19, 2001. It contains cultural evidence of contemporary culture buried in the underground. It is supposed to be opened again 100 years after its burial.

See also

• Navel of the world
  Axis mundi
  The axis mundi , in religion or mythology, is the world center and/or the connection between heaven and Earth. As the celestial pole and geographic pole, it expresses a point of connection between sky and earth where the four compass directions meet...
  
  
• Omphalos
  Omphalos
  An omphalos is an ancient religious stone artifact, or baetylus. In Greek, the word omphalos means "navel" . According to the ancient Greeks, Zeus sent out two eagles to fly across the world to meet at its center, the "navel" of the world...