Doi Suthep and the Legend of the White Elephant

One of our favorite things in Thailand was our trip to Doi Suthep - one of the mountains in Chiang Mai. On top of the mountain is an old Buddhist temple called Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep. It dates back to 1383 when the first part of it was built. There is an old legend that a monk found a bone that is said to have been one of Buddha's bones and has magical powers. This relic then apparently split into two pieces - one was taken to a temple and the other was placed on the back of a white elephant which was then released into the forest. The elephant is then said to have climbed the mountain, trumpeted 3 times, and then died. This was interpreted as a sign and the king ordered a temple to be built there.

We climbed over 300 steps to reach the top, but these easy-going steps were no match for the 550 steps that we climbed in Jeju with Megan's parents. At the top of the steps we were able to walk around the temple grounds where there is also a viewpoint to see all of Chiang Mai. We were thankful that we kept checking the weather and kept putting off going until it was a clear day, because the view was spectacular.

Each time we go to a temple we are struck by the dedication of so many people to their Buddhist faith. It has been a good challenge and reminder to us to fully surrender our lives to Christ.  While many of our church buildings don't have the "wow-factor" like many of these temples do, we are struck by the contrast between the focus of their faith versus ours. We are so grateful to have a God who is constantly with us and who never changes.

Preparing for the steps...

Outer area of the temple

The famous white elephant!

View of the temple from back in our hotel room! You could really see the sunlight reflecting off of it.

View overlooking Chiang Mai- if you look really closely in the middle right area you can see our hotel! Comment if you can spot it! 

Here's the inside of the temple grounds. This whole area you had to have your shoes off for. The gold thing in the middle is what we can see from our hotel room and the guy with one leg got in the middle of my panoramic shot...

Isaiah 40:28  Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.