Doi Chom Thong Buddhadhatu Pagoda Wat Phra That Doi Chom Thong ( th, วัดพระธาตุดอยจอมทอง) (also known as ''Wat Phra That Doi Jom Thong'') is located in Nakhon

Chiang Rai Chiang Rai ( th, เชียงราย, ; nod, , เจียงฮาย, ) is the northernmost major city in Thailand, with a population of about 200,000 people. It is located in Mueang Chiang Rai District, Chiang Rai Province. Chiang Rai ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

History

Doi Chom Thong has undoubtedly been a sacred site for a very long time. The site was surely revered as the home of local spirits before Buddhism arrived in the area. As in many Thai wats, Spirit Houses coexist happily with the newer Buddhist shrines. Elephants are part of the lore of Doi Chom Thong. Paw Kuhn

Mangrai Mangrai ( nod, ; th, มังราย; 1238–1311), also known as Mengrai ( th, เม็งราย),The name according to historical sources is "Mangrai", and this is used in most modern scholarly applications. "Mengrai", popularised by a 19 ...

was said to have been following an elephant that had wandered off when he first came upon Doi Chom Thong, a solitary hill on the banks of the River Kok. There is a ''Chedi'' or golden pagoda of ''

Stupa A stupa ( sa, स्तूप, lit=heap, ) is a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing relics (such as ''śarīra'' – typically the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns) that is used as a place of meditation. In Buddhism, circumamb ...

'' located in the center of the

wat A wat ( km, វត្ត, ; lo, ວັດ, ; th, วัด, ; khb, 「ᩅᨯ᩠ᨰ」(waD+Dha); nod, 「ᩅ᩠ᨯ᩶」（w+Da2)) is a type of Buddhist temple and Hindu temple in Cambodia, Laos, East Shan State, Yunnan, the Southern Provi ...

. The Chedi is the focal point of the temple. The Chedi was constructed with a mixture of Bhu-kam (ancient Burma) and Lanna style. It is around 14 meters high, the lotus-petal base, the body, the bell, the top part of the Chedi were decorated with a gold foil. According to the ''

Yonok The Singhanavati (; ) Kingdom was based along the Kok River, in the Chiang Rai Basin in northern Thailand. The ancient Lanna society of northern Thailand was considered more progressive than many other contemporary societies in other regions bec ...

Chronicle'', the ''That'' or ''Chedi'' originally was built in 940 during the reign of Phraya Ruen Kaew, Prince of Chiang Rai, to house the Lord Buddha's relics. Those relics were originally acquired by Prince Pangkaraj of Yonok Nakpan, who divided them into three parts for the three temples of Wat Phra That Doi Tung, Wat Phra That Chomkitti, and Wat Phra That Doi Chom Thong, respectively. Later, in 1260, King

was said to have visited Doi Chom Thong, where he viewed the surrounding area and found it suitable for the establishment of a city. He then ordered the beginning of the construction of the city of Chiang Rai and had Wat Phra That Doi Chom Thong restored. In 1992 (B.E. 2535) the

City Pillar Lak mueang ( th, หลักเมือง) are city pillars found in most cities of Thailand. Usually housed in a shrine ( th, ศาลหลักเมือง) which is also believed to house Chao Pho Lak Mueang (), the city spirit deit ...

was moved from Wat Klang Wiang to Doi Chom Thong, where it is known as Sadu Mueang (TH: สะดือเมือง), the Navel or

Omphalos An omphalos is a religious stone artifact, or baetylus. In Ancient Greek, the word () means "navel". Among the Ancient Greeks, it was a widespread belief that Delphi was the center of the world. According to the myths regarding the founding of ...

of the city.

Gallery

File:SaDuMuangChiangRai.jpg, Sadu Mueang at Doi Chom Thong, Chiang Rai File:Buddha images in Ubosoth of Wat Phratat Jomthong.jpg, The major buddha image in "Viharn" or the Grand Hall File:SanPhraJao.jpg, San Phra Jao at Chom Thong, Chiang Rai

References

* David K. Wyatt and Aroonrut Wichienkeeo give 1262/1263 CE as the date of the founding of Chiang Rai in their Second Edition of ''The Chiang Mai Chronicle'', Silkworm Books, . Phra That Doi Chom Thong {{Thailand-struct-stub