Wat Phra That Doi Kham

Wat Phra That Doi Kham, which literally means “Temple of the Golden Mountain”, is a beautiful temple perched on the top of Doi Kham Hill, within the Doi Suthep National Park and surrounded by beautiful mountainous landscapes. Located just 10 km southwest of downtown Chiang Mai, this ancient temple has more than 1,300 years of history. The oldest structure of temple is its golden chedi that was built in 687 to enshrine Buddha’s relics. It shares many characteristics with the chedi of the more famous Wat Phra That Doi Suthep temple, which is found a little more to the North, but that was built only in 1383. The temple is mainly visited by Thais who come here to visit the enormous sitting Buddha image displaying the Calling the Earth to witness mudra. The 17-metre-tall statue is located on the hill top, a little bit away from the temple. It dominates the area and is visible from miles away. The views from the top of hill are truly impressive; you can see both the valley where Chiang Mai lies and the rolling mountains at the back of Doi Pui Mountain. The devout Buddhists, and tourists more enterprising, can reach the summit of Doi Kham Hill on foot along a path through the vegetation that ends with a steep staircase, 300 steps, flanked by two long golden Naga snakes. If you don’t want to walk up the stairs there is also a funicular that will take you up and down the hill. In addition to the golden chedi, the temple’s courtyard contains the main viharn, several large warriors armed with swords similar to those at the Grand Palace in Bangkok, some Singha guard, namely white lion statues, as well as a large numbers of bells, including very large gongs that visitors can strike. The courtyard is partly enclosed by a gallery filled with numerous seated Buddha images in various postures seated on white pedestals surrounded by other smaller Buddha images.
Admission fee & Opening hours: The temple is open daily from 06:00 to 17:00. Admission for locals is free, while the entrance fee for foreigners is 30 Baht.
Getting there: Wat Phra That Doi Kham is located on the top of Doi Kham Hill, about 10 km southwest of downtown Chiang Mai. The easiest way to get there is to hire a taxi or songthaew for a round-trip, about two or three hours. Because of its little-used location it might not be easy to find a taxi at the temple for the way back. Haggle on the price of round-trip before setting off.Read More