Wat Phra That Doi Suthep

The road climbs and turns up the green mountain, leaving the city far below. The air grows cooler as you rise. At the top, you reach the foot of a long staircase. This is Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, the sacred temple that watches over Chiang Mai from the heights.

Before you climb, hear the story of how the temple came to be. In the late fourteenth century, a holy relic was brought to the city, said to be a piece of bone from the shoulder of the Buddha. The king of the time, Kue Na, wished to find the right place to keep it. It was a treasure far too important to leave in any common place.

The legend tells what happened next. The relic was placed on the back of a white elephant. The animal was set free and allowed to wander. It climbed this mountain, then called the Sugar Elephant Mountain. Near the summit it stopped, trumpeted three times, turned around, and dropped dead. The king read this as a clear sign. On that spot, in 1383, he ordered the temple built.

Now look up at the staircase before you. It holds three hundred and six steps. Down each side runs the long body of a naga, a serpent of old belief. This is said to be the longest naga staircase in all of Thailand. The serpents' heads rear up at the bottom, and their scaled bodies flow upward beside you as you climb.

Take the steps slowly. Let the climb prepare you, as it has prepared pilgrims for hundreds of years. Many people climb in bare feet, treating each step as part of the prayer. If the stairs are too many, a small cable railway runs to the top as well. Either way, pause when you arrive, and catch your breath before you go inside.

At the top, near the entrance, you will see a statue of a white elephant. It marks the legend you have just heard. This is the animal that chose the site, honored in stone for all the visitors who follow its path up the mountain. Visitors often stop to take its photo before walking on.

Pass into the upper terrace, and the heart of the temple opens before you. At its center rises a golden chedi. Its surface is covered in gilded copper plates that blaze in the sunlight. The glare off the gold is so bright you may need to shade your eyes. Inside it rests the holy relic that began everything. This is the most sacred part of the whole temple.

Walk around the chedi in the proper way, keeping it on your right. Many people carry lotus flowers and lit incense as they go, circling three times in honor of the Buddha, his teaching, and the monks. Small bells hang from the surrounding shrines and ring softly when the wind moves through them. The smell of incense and fresh flowers drifts across the terrace.

Around the central terrace stand many smaller figures and shrines. You will find Buddha images in different poses, each with its own meaning. There are bells along the walkway that visitors gently strike as they pass. The whole space is bright with gold, color, and the steady movement of people at prayer. At one shrine, monks bless visitors and tie white cords around their wrists.

Now walk to the edge of the terrace and look outward. On a clear day, the whole of Chiang Mai lies spread below you. You can pick out the airport, the grid of the streets, and the green country beyond. For six centuries, pilgrims have stood at this same edge and looked down at the city the temple protects.

Find a quiet corner away from the crowd. Feel the cooler mountain air on your skin. Smell the incense drifting from the shrines. Listen to the soft ring of the bells and the low sound of chanting. Up here, lifted above the noise of the valley, it is easy to understand why people have called this ground sacred for so long.

Before you start back down the long staircase, turn for one last look at the golden chedi. Think of the white elephant that is said to have climbed here and chosen this very spot. Whether you take the story as history or as legend, the meaning is the same. People followed an animal up a mountain, and built something that has held their faith for more than six hundred years.