Can you guess what a place once christened “The City of 1,000 Temples” is famous for?
That’s right…cricket bats.
Seriously though, it’s almost impossible to throw a stick in Thailand and not hit a temple but Chiang Mai takes it to extreme levels.
While the actual number may not quite live up to the nickname, there are still more than 250 of these dazzling, historic and remarkable architectural gems to choose from.
On a recent trip to the city, I visited three magnificent – yet very different – examples.
My half day tour began with a hotel pick up by the ebullient and knowledgeable Mam from Absolutely Fantastic Holidays. Our first stop was to be the Wat Phra That Doi Suthep temple some 11kms up in the mountains to the west of the city.
On the way up we passed through the campus of Chiang Mai University, one of the most sought after learning establishments in the country. More than 1,000 students attend, mainly to study medicine, at a university ranked 565 in the world.
I mention this because every year all the first year students walk from the campus to the temple to give thanks.
At an elevation of more than 1,000 metres, it’s a steep climb and takes several hours. I’m grateful we’re in a van and not on foot.
As we make the twisting drive upwards, Mam informs me that the road was built in 1934 and was completed in just five months by 50,000 people working for no pay.
It’s a major achievement – prior to the road opening it was a two day hike to get to the temple.
On arrival, I am given the option of climbing the 306 steps to the temple – known as the ‘Stairway to Heaven’ – or taking the quaint funicular. Bad knees and humidity lead me to the latter and it’s a delightful little ride.
Doi Suthep was founded in 1383 and is one of the most important temples in Thailand, mainly because it is believed to house a bone fragment from the shoulder of the Buddha, now located within the golden chedi which dominates the landscape (main picture).
This brings worshippers from all over the world, eager to make the “climb up to paradise”. As many as 120,000 a month can make the pilgrimage.
Fortunately, it’s not too crowded when we arrive and walking around the site is relatively easy. Apart from all the statues and religious paraphernalia to look at, the views from up here are fabulous.
We just had enough time for a monk to sprinkle holy water on our heads for good luck and prosperity before the ‘big guy in the sky’ decided to do the same, sending us scurrying for cover as the rain pelted down.
Fortunately it didn’t last long and I was able to take the stairs back down to ground level…although how I did it without snapping a hamstring was a true miracle.
Wat Pha Lat
If I was ever to become a monk (and I think that religious ship has probably sailed by now), Wat Pha Lat is the place I would choose to do my worshipping.
Far less ostentatious than its illustrious neighbour Doi Suthep, it offers a simpler, quieter prayer facility, set amid verdant surroundings where the only sounds are running water from a nearby waterfall and the twittering of birds.
Here you’ll find moss-covered statues, intricate carvings, beautiful plants and the aforementioned waterfall that cascades down the mountainside. You feel like the surrounding jungle wants to envelop the site but only the presence of the monks keeps it at bay.
Mam recounts that this uber peaceful, absorbing location has been used for several film and TV shoots, although obviously away from the sanctioned off monks quarters.
Few tourists know of its existence, let alone pay it a visit, so keen are they to get to Doi Suthep further up the mountain. This is somewhat ironic because back in the day it was used as a resting place for pilgrims on their way to Doi Suthep.
Don’t make the mistake of missing out and ensure that if you’re doing the ‘temple trail’ that you put Pha Lat on your list.
Wat Umong Therajan
My first question on arriving here was: “what time does Batman get home?”
For while Doi Suthep is perched atop a mountain and Pha Lat is situated in tranquil gardens, Umong Therajan translates as ‘Temple of the Tunnels’.
Founded at the end of the 13th century, this is the oldest and most expansive forest monastery in Chiang Mai, containing a series of underground tunnels, hence the name.
Story goes that as the city became more and more crowded, it became harder to find a quiet place to meditate, hence the need for an underground place of worship.
Legend also has it that it was home to a monk called Thera Jan who may or may not have been driven insane by living in such strange surroundings.
What we do know is that the temple was abandoned during the 15th century and was only restored in 1948 before reopening a year later as a centre for meditation and Buddhist teachings.
Sadly the colourful murals that once adorned the walls of the tunnels are long since gone but the restoration work has been done with great success.
As your eyes adjust to the darkness, you start to get the unmistakeable whiff of incense as you move closer to the inner sanctum. The walls are wet with condensation and the floor is also a bit slippery – and yes, they do have real bats hanging from the ceiling.
For the extremely tall or the slightly claustrophobic, it may be a somewhat daunting prospect but it’s well worth the visit.
As I left, I was awfully tempted to test the acoustics by shouting: “Now batting, number two, Derek Jeter!!”, but thought that might be a tad disrespectful.
Told you I couldn’t be a monk…
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