Buddha's birthday

Today was Wisakha Bucha, an important holiday in Buddhism which commemorates the birth, enlightenment and death of Buddha.  One of the traditions in Chang Mai is to make a pilgrimage up to the temple at the top of Doi Suthep and I was lucky enough to be able to take part with one of my classmates.  It was an amazing experience.

It starts at the zoo which is right up the street from my accommodation.  We left at about 8:30PM and met up with my classmate's friends.  The walk is close to 8 miles (I think) and takes about 4 hours.  There were so many people, and lots of monks, it was incredible to see.  The whole way up there were vendors selling all sorts of food and people handing out water, tea and soup at the side of the road.

There was such an amazing energy throughout the crowd.  There were small children and some elderly climbing the mountain but no one seemed to be complaining.  And everyone was very inclusive and helpful.  I don't think it's an event foreigners generally take part in, I only saw a couple among the thousands of Thai, but they were all welcoming.  

The crowd outside of a temple on the way up to Doi Suthep

On the way up the mountain there were a few smaller temples.  Some had large tents where monks were speaking, there was music and areas for meditation.  There are also lookouts where you can see the sprawling city of Chaing Mai.  Of course it was dark by the time we started but we could look down and see the city lights.

At the top of Doi Suthep, people waiting to get into the temple

We reached the top of Doi Suthep a little after midnight but it took another hour to get into the temple, Wat Phra That Doi Suthep.  There were so many people that the long wide staircase leading up to the temple was packed.  We ended up following many others and walking up through the trees alongside the staircase.  

Chedi at Doi Suthep

The entire temple area is quite large with several pagodas and a lot of open space within the walls.  The innermost area is the most stunning though.  The Chedi and many of the other features are gold plated which is an amazing sight to see at night.  We walked with the devotees around the Chedi three times listening to the singing and chanting of the monks.  People also bring flowers, candles and incense as offerings and to remind them of life's impermanence.  

People were sleeping all over the open areas of the temple grounds, waiting for the ceremonies I think.  When we left there was still a steady stream of people trying to get into the temple.  We spent quite some time at the top of the steps to the temple, completely surrounded by people and unable to move in any direction because the staircase was blocked by people coming up.

It was a unique and wonderful experience and I'm so glad that we were able to go.  I haven't had much of a chance to see anything since I came to Chiang Mai so this was definitely the most meaningful experience I've had here so far. 

Fortunately we didn't have to walk all the way back down.  We walked part of the way until we found a red truck with room to take us down the rest of the way.  I didn't get in til 4:30AM but it was definitely worth it!