The climb is a 306 step staircase bordered by mythical serpents called naga. Presiding over the city at the top is Wat Phra That, one of northern Thailand’s most sacred temples.
The golden spire glitters near the summit of Doi Suthep, a 5,499-foot mountain outside Chiang Mai.
Lanna was an ancient Thai state located in the upper northern region of Thailand and literally means the land with a million paddy fields. The legend of Lanna and of this temple’s relic is one known by every child in Thailand.
A shard of bone, said to be from the shoulder of Lord Buddha himself, was brought to Lanna by a wandering monk. The shard broke into two pieces.
One remains at the base of the mountain, enshrined in a temple called Wat Suan Dok that I had visited earlier that morning.
Wat Phra That Doi Suthep was built in 1383 by King Keu Naone to house the second fragment.
Its story is the stuff of myth. The second piece of Buddha’s bone was mounted on the back of a sacred white elephant who wandered the jungle until it died. Legend says the great beast trumpeted three times and fell, thereby marking the spot where the temple was later built.
My photos tell the better story.
Within the monastery compound, on the morning I visited, monks chanted in a ceremony I was fortunate to observe.
The terrace at the top is filled with a stunning assemblage of Buddha statuary, including a statue of the white elephant that carried the Buddha relic to its current resting place.
Before entering the inner courtyard, children pay their respects to a lizard-like guardian dragon statue known as ‘Mom’. No clue about this one…
Steps lead up to the inner terrace, where a walkway circumnavigates the gleaming golden chedi enshrining the relic. The crowning five-tiered umbrella marks the city’s independence from Burma and its union with Thailand.
If you’re in Chiang Mai, there are two easy ways to get to up to the Wat Phra That Doi Suthep Temple Walking up the seven-headed serpent stairs is steep option but a great spot to take pictures. There is also a funiculaire, available from 6.00 am-6.00 pm for 50 Thai Baht (less that a dollar). Click here for more information.