Doi Suthep in Chiang Mai

The Legend of Wat Phra That Doi Suthep

Legend has it that in the year 1382 a monk saw a vision of a flame. Following it, he found a relic of the Lord Buddha. The details of this relic have become obscured by the mists of time; the most common tale is that it was a glowing bone from the Buddha himself. The monk took this relic to his king, but the king's lack of piety meant that the relic's magic failed to work for him. Losing interest, the king sent the monk away. At this time King Keu Naone of the Lanna (northern) Kingdom had heard about the relic and invited the monk to his city. The relic's power worked for the faithful King Keu Naone and he offered to enshrine it.

The Chedi (pagoda) at Wat Suan Dok was built to house the relic and all the preparations were made; but when the time came to place the relic in the Chedi it broke in two. King Keu Naone then made a decision. He placed half of the relic in the Chedi and placed the other half on the back of a sacred white elephant. The elephant was then taken to the northern gate of the city, now called Chang Puak, or White Elephant Gate, and allowed to go where it would. The holy best headed due west into the wilderness and began to climb Doi Suthep. Halfway up, the creature suddenly stopped, trumpeted three times, turned three times in a circle and then kneeled down and died. The temple was raised on the very spot where the elephant died and there it stands to this day.