This is the holiest site in northern Ireland. It is considered as such due to the legend of its founding and the magic relic in the chedi.
The temple was established in 1383 by King Ku Na after the glowing relic of Wat Suan Dork had duplicated itself prior to being enshrined.
To find a suitable site for the clone it was placed in a shrine on a white elephant that was free to roam. The elephant climbed Doi Suthep, trumpeted three times, turned around thrice, knelt down and died, thus indicating the place for the relic.
The temple is built 1,080 m (3,542 ft) up on Doi Suthep the mountain 16 km (10 mi) northwest of Chiang Mai. The chedi is copperplated and topped by a five-tiered gold umbrella.