Wat Phra That Doi Suthep
Chiang Mai's hilltop temple on Doi Suthep: a seven-headed naga stairway, a golden Lanna-style chedi and a view over the city.
The temple where a white elephant is said to have chosen the site
Wat Phra That Doi Suthep stands on Doi Suthep, the mountain to the west of Chiang Mai. TAT calls it the city's most important temple and places it about 11 km from the centre in Suthep subdistrict of Mueang Chiang Mai. TAT dates the temple to the early 19th Buddhist century, which is roughly the 13th century CE, while popular tradition gives 1383 for the first stupa. The founding story is legend and exists in several versions. In the commonly told one, a monk from Sukhothai found a relic bone, which broke in two. One half went to Wat Suan Dok, and the other was carried on a white elephant that climbed the mountain, trumpeted and died, which was read as a sign. According to that tradition King Kue Na then ordered the temple built on the spot. The road up was built in 1935 under the monk Khruba Siwichai. Today the temple is known for its seven-headed naga stairway, a Chiang Saen-style golden pagoda in Lanna architecture, and a viewpoint over Chiang Mai.
Explore Wat Phra That Doi Suthep on the map
City locations, drawn from our published destination data. Attractions, hotels and restaurants are not mapped yet.
Along the mountain trail
The temple is compact; it is the stairway, the chedi and the view that people come for.
Stairway and approach
- A seven-headed naga stairway leads up to the temple, and the naga balustrades are described as the longest in Thailand.
- The naga staircase has 309 steps from the car park; visitors can climb it or reach the temple by road.
The golden chedi
- The chedi is gold-plated and about 24 m tall. The pagoda is described as Chiang Saen-style within Lanna architecture, with Sukhothai influence and a Burmese-style chatra, a tiered umbrella, on top.
- The relic is held in the rounded part of the chedi, above the octagonal section, and this is the temple's most sacred area.
Viewpoint
- TAT lists a viewpoint over Chiang Mai city as one of the temple's features.
How to visit
Location and context, not logistics.
Position
- The temple is in Chiang Mai's western hills, about 11 km from the city centre, on Huai Kaeo Road per TAT.
- Doi Suthep-Pui National Park begins at the western edge of Chiang Mai and covers the surrounding hills.
- Visitors can climb the stairway or go up by road.
Good to know
Context that helps you read the site.
Good to know
- The founding date is traditional rather than documented (TAT and popular tradition differ), so a guide may give a different date or version of the elephant story.
- The road to the temple dates from 1935, so for most of its history people reached it on foot.
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