Wat Lok Moli or ˉtopknot of the worldˇ is thought to have been founded by King Ku Na, the 6th king of the Mangrai Dynasty (12631578), who ruled the Lan Na Kingdom from Chiang Mai between about 1367 and 1388. It was probably a royal temple, since the northern side of the city was a royal precinct at the time; certainly the sanctuary enjoyed a long and close association with the Mangrai rulers. According to a notice at the south entrance of the temple, King Ku Na invited a group of ten monks from Burma to come and live in Chiang Mai, providing Lok Moli as a residence for them. The huge chedi that distinguishes Lok Moli was built in 1527, perhaps after the orders of the 11th Mangrai monarch, King Muang Kaeo (14951526), but apparently during the first year of the first reign of his younger brother, King Ket Chettharat (15261538).