Doi Suthep is a half hour’s drive from Chiang Mai through a green forested route, Doi Suthep is the name of the mountain and the temple takes it name from it as does the national park around it. The full name of the temple is Wat Phra That Doi Suthep or simply “the sacred temple of the relic at Doi Suthep”. This is considered one of the most sacred temples in Thailand and classified by the Royals as a Class Two temple. The temple is a must visit for every tourist to Chiang Mai. A short drive past the Chiang Mai university and the zoo through a lushly forested route takes you to the foot of the Doi Suthep mountain. Access to the top is by a 300 steps stairway called the Naga stair case due to the statues of the Naga along the stair or through a cable car. We took the easy way up and in less than five minutes we were at the top of the mountain at the entrance to the temple

Buddhism flourished during the reign of the Lanna dynasty and numerous temples were built in the hey days of the dynasty (1200s to 1500s) – This temple was one of them . In the most widely accepted version a bone with magical powers, said to be Buddha’s shoulder bone was presented before the King Kuena ( the fifth king in the Lanna dynasty) who ordered it placed on an elephant who was then set loose. As the story goes, the elephant reached the top of the mountain, trumpeted and died on that spot. This was considerd a sign from the gods and the temple of Doi Suthep was build at that location. While according to another version it was a white elephant While there is also a statue of the white elephant in the temple , this elephant (see pic alongside) and plaque placed right behind the elephant narrates the legend of the temple making it perhaps the official version!~ . Yet another version amplifies that the shoulder bone of the Lord Buddha had magical powers and split into two – one of which is housed here at Doi Suthep.

Once you get off the cable car at the top of the mountain, walk through the magnificent entrance into the inner sanctorum of the temple. The gold covered Chedi or stupa is said to house the relic of the lord Buddha.There are numerous statues, figures and worship spots located within. I would suggest you identify each of these on the map ( available behind the 30 Baht entrance ticket). Also spend some time translating some of the inscriptions in Thai to get some idea of the Buddhist philosophy. Google Translate was of great help and we spent a lot of time absorbing the import of the teachings and significance of the statues. A walk round the temple took us almost and hour. Besides we caught some great views of the city from the designated view points.

We took the cable car back to the foot of the hill and spent some time at the Jade emporium., Some interesting pieces of Jade sculpture were prohibitively expensive and we quickly made our tracks back to the car for our onward drive through the scenic lush forests of the Doi Suthep national park to the Hmong village. A quaint village walk through the local handicrafts market led us to the very well maintained Doi Pui park. The calm and serene atmosphere and the riot of colours warmed the heart. At the far end of the park was the Doi Pui Waterfall – a little more than a large jungle stream marked the end of our visit to the Doi Suthep hill, temple and park. On the way back to Chiangmai one could stop by at the Bhubing palace and admire the rose gardens . Should you still have time stop by at the Zoo and the nearby Huay Keaw water falls for some amazing photo ops. And of course of you are the adventurous type looking for nature hike the Doi Suthep National Park is just the right place ,