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Wat Phra That Doi Suthep

White Elephant and Two Nagas

The Temple of Wat Phra That Doi Suthep is located 16 kilometers outside of Chiang Mai at the top of Mount Doi Suthep. It has 309 steps guarded by two giant nagas, a golden stupa containing the relics of Buddha Shakyamuni, and an observation deck to overlook the old city of Chiang Mai.

Wat Phra That Doi Suthep is located 16 kilometers outside of Chiang Mai at the top of Mount Doi Suthep, which is beautiful, densely wooded, and considered as sacred.

Wat Phra That Doi Suthep Temple is also known as Double Nagas Temple, the name comes from the two huge nagas on both sides of 309 Steps Upward to the Temple. For those who are not confident in their physical strength, there is also a cable car next to the steps.

Manywhere Tips:
Naga is the mythical serpent in Sanskrit.

When you enter the main gate of Wat Phra That Doi Suthep Temple, you will be greeted by the pagoda corridor. This is the core area of the temple, with a Golden Stupa 24m High in the center, which enshrines relics of Shakyamuni’s Buddha. The stupa and the nearby canopy are plated with gold, they are so dazzling in the daylight that the stupa can be seen from the bottom of the hill, and even in downtown Chiang Mai.

The main building of the temple is all centered on the stupa, whether it is the Main hall, the side halls or the outer wooden halls, the doors of the halls all open towards the stupa.

There are many stories about the origin of Wat Phra That Doi Suthep Temple, mostly related to a white elephant. Legend has it that a monk from Sukhothai put the relic on a white elephant and left it to find a suitable place. Eventually, the white elephant went to the top of Mount Doi Suthep. King Lanna VI built the stupa at Where the White Elephant Died, which became today’s Wat Phra That Doi Suthep.

Manywhere Trivia:
It is said that the white elephant left from the north gate of Chiang Mai to Mount Doi Suthep, which is why The North Gate of Chiang Mai is named White Elephant Gate.

Wat Phra That Doi Suthep Temple is dedicated to many gods and Buddhas from Buddhism and Hinduism, and at the other end of the hill, there is a viewing platform. From there you can see the Chiang Mai's Old Town at Your Feet, with a feeling of being in a Buddha realm among the clouds.