Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep

There are many different stories about the history of this temple. However, according to actual research documents, the temple was built at the end of the 14th century. During the past 600 years, the temple has had many changes and been repaired many times. The most prominent feature in the temple grounds is the Golden Stupa. Legend has it that, in the golden stupa containing the relic is the shoulder bone of the Buddha which was found when a monk dreamed that he (the Buddha) told him to look for the relics of the Buddha. He later found this shoulder bone and believed it belonged to the Buddha. The relic was then handed over to King Nu Naone of the Lanna kingdom (present-day Chiang Mai). Immediately the relic divided itself into two parts, one the same size, the other smaller. The smaller part is enshrined in Suan Dok Temple. The other part was put on the back of the white elephant by the king and released into the forest. The elephant, after climbing Mount Doi Suthep, roared three times and died. The place where elephants died is considered the place where the relic wants to be kept, so King Nu Naone built a temple and kept the relic here.

To get to this temple you can move in two ways. If you are a person who likes to experience and have enough health, you can choose to go up 309 steps to go to the temple, admire the statue of the snake god Naga running along the side of the stairs. In addition, you can choose a gentler way to go to the temple by cable car.

When you set foot on the temple, you will be overwhelmed by the central stupa 24m high inlaid with beautiful architecture, which is considered a place to store relics along with Buddha statues placed on all four sides. unique. Looking from the stupa, you can see that the surrounding buildings are symmetrical, the temple is located in a rectangular campus. Located at the South and North ends of the rectangle are two structures called Viharn. In contrast to the usual three-story parallel roofs found in other temples in Thailand, the roofs of the buildings here consist of only two floors, with different angles. The front of each building is exquisitely decorated with gilded murals and religious designs. In addition, many beautifully decorated religious sculptures, bells, and shrines dot the entire temple, leaving you in awe.

Around the central stupa are hung yellow bells with the names of tourists from all over the world, who come to pray for peace. The people of Chiang Mai have told each other that, to pray for good luck, visitors must sincerely light incense and walk around the tower 3 times or can listen to monks preaching Buddhist scriptures, tying the thread to their hands for peace and luck. .

Opening hours: The temple is open every day of the week from 6:00 - 20:00

Ticket price: 30 BATH