Here's one of the many shots I took last summer in Thailand. This particular photograph was taken at the temple on Doi Suthep ("Doi..." being our equivalent of "Mount...") which is right outside of Chiang Mai, the largest city in Northern Thailand. This particular city is renown for its abundance of temples, or wats, having thousands dispersed in and around the city. Although most of these wats are for day-to-day worship and ceremonies, there are several that are regular tourist attractions and preserved historical buildings.
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| A row of prayer bells |
This particular temple, Wat Doi Suthep, was built in the 14th century because a white elephant decided to stop there. The white elephant was considered a very auspicious animal by the Buddhists of the time. As a tribute to Buddha, whose supposed remains the white elephant was carrying, the Lanna king Ku Na freed the white elephant, allowing it to roam until it had chosen for him a place to build a temple. The elephant rested on this particular mountain, the temple compound was built, just outside the Lanna capital of Chiang Mai.
The temple is still in use today as both a place of worship and a tourist attraction. The bells called monks and common believers alike to worship; although the instruments also get their share of touches from tourists and children at play.
