Wat Prahat Doi Suthep

Wat Phra That Doi Suthep

Wat Prahat That Doi Suthep stands at an altitude of 1,053 meters amidst a magnificent landscape on the slope of Mount Pui (1,685 meters). >The entrance to the temple proper is guarded by two statues of demons, flanked by open “spirit houses”. Of the six entrances to the gallery and to the chedi, only two are usually open. In the galleries there are statues of Buddha of Chiang Mai and Sukhothai style. Interesting and paintings on the walls, made in relatively recent times and depicting episodes from the life of the Buddha. The gallery includes two vihanas facing each other, the facades of which are decorated with magnificent carvings. The central shrine of the vata Doi Suthep contains a highly revered sculpture of a seated Buddha.

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Highlights

The centerpiece of Wat Prahat Doi Suthep is a shining gold 20-meter high chedi topped by a five-tiered spire. Its covering consists of gilded bronze plates with rich decoration. At the corners of the grid surrounding the chedi are small altars of skillful work and four elegant filigree umbrellas of gilded copper. Outside the gallery-enclosed space on the north side is a beautiful, richly decorated chapel. In the courtyard hangs a large bronze bell, and around it three smaller ones.

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Also notable are a small altar, where a relic once traveled on the back of an elephant, and a bust of the hermit Wasut Khepa. The temple’s small museum displays particularly valuable objects, as well as collections of ancient coins and postage stamps.

The wat owes its name to the hermit monk Vasuthep who lived in the area. According to legend, King Keung was looking for a place for a shrine to place the other half of a miraculously bifurcated relic there. On the advice of Sumana, a monk who had once found the relic, a piece of it was placed in an altar, which was attached to the back of a free-ranging white elephant. The elephant climbed up the mountain and lay down at the hut of the hermit Vasuthepa. When the relic was removed from the altar, the animal died. A temple was built on this very spot, and a small chedi was erected over the grave of the white elephant.

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On the first platform of the temple, before ascending the stairs, on the right side is a statue of the goddess Thorani – symbol of the life-giving power of the Earth – wringing water from her hair. According to Brahmanical tradition, demons and their leader Mara (Evil) tempted the Buddha, and then Thorani appeared, squeezed water from his hair and washed away the crowd of demons with it.