January 23, 2008
Chiangmai: A visit to Doi Suthep
We leave our bikes at home and take a songthaew (pick-up with two benches in back) up to Doi Suthep, a mountain 16 kilometers to the west of Chiangmai and 700 meters higher. We see one cyclist on the winding road pedaling his way up, but I doubt he felt like looking at the temple when he got there. We didn't even feel tempted to ride our bikes up: we want to see the temple and the ride would probably have done us in.
Once you have reached the car park, three hundred steps with nagas on either side lead to the Wat Phra That Doi Suthep and its magnificent golden chedi. You also have a grand view over Chiangmai and the surrounding countryside.
The wat at Doi Suthep is the holiest shrine in north Thailand as it harbors a miraculous relic with an interesting history. As the legend goes, a long, long time ago a pea-sized, glowing relic, as it was about to be buried in Wat Suan Dork, split in two. A place had to be found for the new relic, so it was put into a traveling shrine and placed on an elephant's back. With his valuable cargo, the elephant climbed the Doi Suthep, at the top trumpeted three times, turned around three times, knelt down and died, thus indicating where the new shrine was to be built.
The buildings and ground are beautifullly kept: the golden and white chedis sparkle, the terraces are immaculate and a wide variety of orchids hang from the trees. It is almost other worldly.
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