Wat Phra That Doi Suthep

Wat Phra That Doi Suthep sits on a shoulder of the mountain that rises straight behind Chiang Mai, at about 1,050 metres, and from the city below its golden spire is a fleck of light against the forest. Up close it is one of the most dazzling sacred places in northern Thailand: a terrace crowded with gilded umbrellas, bells, shrines and Buddha images, all gathered around a chedi plated in gold that gleams even under monsoon cloud.

The founding story is pure Lan Na legend. Tradition holds that a monk named Sumanathera brought a relic, said to be a fragment of the Buddha's shoulder bone, to King Kue Na of Lan Na in the 14th century. The relic was placed on the back of a white elephant and the animal was set free; it climbed the mountain, trumpeted three times and died on the spot, which was taken as a sign to build here. The first stupa is usually dated to 1383. A statue of the elephant, about two metres high, still stands in the north-western corner of the terrace.

The approach is half the spectacle. A stair of about three hundred steps, counted as 306 at the temple and 309 in other sources, climbs from the road between balustrades formed by the long scaled bodies of naga serpents, their multi-headed crests rearing at the foot. For centuries the site could only be reached on foot; the road that now winds up the mountain was built in 1935 under the leadership of Khruba Siwichai, a revered northern monk, entirely by volunteers from across the north, thousands of them on some days, and finished in about six months; before that the climb took at least five hours. A small funicular now offers an alternative to the stair.

At the top, the 24-metre chedi stands on a redented octagonal base, its tiers rising to a ringed spire and a multi-tiered parasol, with smaller shrines, a cloister and wide viewing terraces around it. Come early in the morning, when the haze over the valley is still lifting, or at dusk, when the city lights come on far below. The temple is busiest at Visakha Bucha and Songkran, when pilgrims come up in great numbers.

Getting there

The temple is about 15 km by road from the old city of Chiang Mai, roughly 7 km in a straight line; Chiang Mai International Airport (CNX) is about 6 km away as the crow flies. Shared red songthaews leave from Chang Phueak Gate on the north side of the old city and from near Chiang Mai Zoo, waiting until they have enough passengers; the ride up the winding road takes around half an hour. Fit walkers can climb the forest Monk's Trail from the edge of the city. Visitors should cover shoulders and knees.