Thai. ‘Temple of the Pierced Cliff’. Name of a Buddhist temple in Chiang Mai located within the old city moats. The temple's compound features several interesting objects, such as statues of King Naresuan the Great (fig.), the Burmese monk Phra Siwalih (fig.), a large bust of the demon Rahu (fig.), a giant statue of the Thai historical monk Luang Poo Thuad (fig.), and large scale imitation models of the 12 pagodas in Thailand, i.e. eleven in the north and one in the northeast, that contain Buddha relics of various years of the Chinese zodiac, here summarized in the order of the 12 Animal Signs of the Zodiac corresponding to the 12 Earthly Branches, i.e. 1. Wat Phrathat Sri Chom Thong Wora Wihaan (fig.) in Chiang Mai, Year of the Rat; 2. Wat Phrathat Lampang Luang (fig.) in Lampang, Year of the Ox; 3. the stupa of Wat Phrathat Cho Hae (fig.) in Phrae, Year of the Tiger; 4. Wat Phrathat Chae Haeng (วัดพระธาตุแช่แห้ง) in Nan, Year of the Rabbit; 5. Phrathat Chedi Wat Phra Singh (fig.) in Chiang Mai, Year of the Dragon; 6. Phrathat Wat Chedi Jed Yod (fig.) in Chiang Mai, Year of the Snake; 7. the stupa of Wat Phra Borommathat (วัดพระบรมธาตุ) in Tak, Year of the Horse; 8. Wat Doi Suthep (fig.) in Chiang Mai, Year of the Goat; 9. Wat Phrathat Phanom (fig.) in Nakhon Phanom, Year of the Monkey; 10. Wat Phrathat Haripunchai (fig.) in Lamphun, Year of the Cock; 11. the stupa of Wat Ket Karam (fig.) in Chiang Mai, which houses the Phrathat Ket Kaew Chulamanie (พระธาตุเกตุแก้วจุฬามณี) hair relic, Year of the Dog; and 12. Wat Phrathat Doi Tung (fig.) in Chiang Rai, Year of the Pig. The temple houses a Lan Na-style bronze Buddha image weighing 680,000 baht. Behind the prayer hall is a prasat-style stupa which has Buddha statues on all four sides. The temple has a holy well where locals often come for water to perform religious ceremonies, or to drink it in order to expel evil from the body. The temple was reportedly built in the late 15th century AD by Ngiaw people, an ethnic tribe in northern Thailand also known as Shan, who migrated from Mae Hong Son and named the temple after the village from which they came. Oddly, at the temple's entrance stands the statue of a cartoon-like figure of a Buddhist monk with four arms, two faces, and wearing two pairs of eyeglasses (fig.). The temple is also referred to with the appendix Mangkhalaraam (มังคลาราม), a term that also occurs in the official name of Wat Poh, i.e. Wat Phra Chetuphon Wimon Mangkhalaraam, and roughly translates as ‘Auspicious’. See also CHINESE CALENDAR, POSTAGE STAMPS, and WATCH VIDEO (1) and (2). 回