The experience of Chiang Mai, the cultural bedrock of Thailand, is not complete till you have visited the Golden Pagoda at the Doi Suthep.
A monk named Sumanaost is said to have found an intriguing relic comprising of a shoulder bone of the Buddha. Realizing its value, he concealed it in a series of silver boxes and the local king of Chiangmai at that time built a Wat ( temple complex) called Suan Dok to house it. Once the Wat was completed, the relic was moved and from there starts the rather intriguing folk lore of the replication of the relic into two identical pieces.
To house the miraculous relic, the Lanna king built the Wat Phra That on this hilltop and the relic is supposed to be re posited in the Golden Pagoda.
The sun shines fiercely on the glittering golden pagoda as if it were on fire. The pagoda is visible from far off places including the city . The tiles of the temple floor reflect the golden haze as visitors abound in the complex, all eager for a selfie or better still a commissioned photo with the golden landmark as the anchor point of their imagery.
A gaggle of girls donning Abercombie & Fitch casual-wear and proclaiming the American retail brand hogged the space for a long duration so I was forced to include them in the frame but not without making a canopy grow out of the head of one of the girls. This is called being spiteful.
The things we do at holy spaces :) but than, it is nothing compared to the priests in Hindu temples who prey and exploit the devotees in the name of God.
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