TWIN PEAK PRECIOUS RELICS: Buddha’s relics at the twin pagodas, and Karen Hill tribe on top of Thailand’s highest mountain, Doi Inthanon (Scenes from Chiang Mai, III)

Continuing with the third in the series on Buddhist pilgrimage to SE Asia 2023, my first trip out of Chiang Mai central into the countryside was not only to visit the nunnery Wat Nirodharam, but also the highest peak in Thailand, Doi Inthanon and the two Twin Pagodas there, which both contain the Buddha’s relics.

Music? Karen Hill Long Neck tribe song,  Above the Clouds by Luca and Highest Ground by Stevie Wonder.

Going Solo to Doi Inthanon Park  – Public Transport

There are lots of one-day tour group options from central Chiang Mai to the Doi Inthanon park. It takes about two hours to drive to Chom Thong, the main town at the foothills of Doi Inthanon hills and then another forty minutes or so to drive to the peak. I took the non-tourist (and authentic pilgrim!) solo way of going it alone and travelled in the public, yellow songkaew taxi van on the way there for 40 Baht, which you can pick up from the southern Chiang Mai gate of the old city.

I then stayed the night in Chom Thong, in a simple, yet beautiful guesthouse with a view of the mountains and sunset, but not a vegetarian restaurant in sight and not a place for non Thai speaking tourists generally! Especially if travelling on foot like myself. No dinner for me that night, or breakfast either ha ha! Thankfully I had packed some croissants, fresh fruit and juice in my bag.

In the morning, I went to the public pick up place for the vans going up to the peak itself but they need ten people to go there for 150 Baht per person, and no one else was waiting to go so I had to hire the whole van for 1200 Thai Baht, still cheaper than if I had gone with a tourist group for one day (1900 Baht per person).

Doi Inthanon, the highest peak in Thailand – a floor of clouds and the local Karen Hill tribes

I managed to get to the peak around 9am, about an hour drive up and 300 Baht entrance fee. I just made it in time to see the floor of clouds from the highest point, which did not come out well in this photo!

While at the top I bumped into some people from the Karen hill tribe who kindly agreed to let me have my photo taken with them. The Karen hill tribe in Thailand are the largest ethnic minority group, with an estimated population of around 1,000,000. They originated from Tibet, moving south to Myanmar and northern Thailand. Today, the Karen hill tribe live in proximity to areas alongside the Thai-Myanmar border such as; Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and some in central Thailand.
Sub-Groups

The Karen hill tribe in Thailand (sometimes referred to as the ‘Kariang/Gariang’ or ‘Kayin’) call themselves ‘Pakanyor’. There are 4 major types of Karen; the Sgaw (White Karen), Po (Red Karen), Pa-O and the Kayah. Each sub-group has their own distinct language, customs and costume. The languages are very different and unintelligible from each other, and each has their own dialect.

Karen villages are scattered across the countryside of northern Thailand. They can be found in just about every province and district in northern Thailand, such as Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Mae Hong Son. Traditionally, the Karen people prefer to dwell in mountainous highland areas. Many traditional villages can still be found in remote areas of Thailand, where the Karen still live in bamboo stilt houses.

The Karen are the only tribe in Thailand to own and work with elephants. They have a long standing history and relationship with elephants, who they used to work in the forests. They are famous as highly skilled mahouts, and in fact, most of the mahouts in the elephants camps in Chiang Mai today, are Karen hill tribe.

The Twin Pagodas and Buddha relics

The driver of the hired van then went back down into the forest area and to the twin pagodas, which both contain relics of the Buddha. By this time the cloudy mists were descending and both pagodas were covered in misty cloud, like a foggy day.

The Royal Twin Pagodas (also known as Phra Mahathat Naphamethanidon and Phra Mahathat Napha Phonphumisiri) were built in honor of the King and Queen’s 60th birthdays in 1987 and 1992. The pagodas were designed by the Department of Fine Arts and built with funding from the Royal Thai Air Force. They  are built in a traditional Thai architectural style, with intricate carvings and beautiful artwork that reflect the rich culture and history of the region. The pagodas are also located within Doi Inthanon National Park, which is an important site for the Hmong hill tribe people, who have lived in the region for centuries.

The pagodas are surrounded by well-kept gardens, viewing terraces, seating areas and water-fall features. They are very beautiful and it is a great place to experience Thai art, architecture and design.

Buddha Statues and Buddha’s hair relics

The highlight of the visit for any Buddhist is the Buddha’s relics housed in both pagodas though. Here are some photos I took below:

The second pagoda opposite also contains a Buddha statue with Buddha relics on display next to it:

Stunning Buddhist art work murals around the lilac-coloured second pagoda:

Wachirathan Waterfall

After visiting the Pagodas, we drove  down the hill again to a magnificent natural waterfall of Wachirathan (lit. Diamond Creek Falls, also spelled Vachirathan).

Overall, a wonderful way to end the day trip from Chiang Mai with spectacular views of the clouds,  Buddha’s relics, followed by powerful mother nature water spray blessings!