Suan Dok Chedi

The big pagoda has only recently been covered in gold. It used to be plain whitewashed plaster. This [i]chedi[/i] is at the center of a legend about the founding of the temple on Doi Suthep. In the center of the stupa is a Buddha relic. According to the legend, this relic magically replicated itself. The king of the time had the second relic tied to the back of one of his white elephants and set the beast loose to wander on his own. The elephant eventually came to a stop, and died, on Suthep mountain. Chiang Mai's most well known and revered temple, [url=http://thailandforvisitors.com/north/chiangmai/suthep/index.html]Wat Pratat Doi Suthep[/url], was built on the spot where the elephant came to rest.