Doi Suthep

Doi Suthep (ดอยสุเทพ), is a mountain ("doi") west of Chiang Mai, Thailand. It is 1,676 metres (5,499 ft) in elevation and is one of the twin peaks of a granite mountain. The other peak is known as Doi Pui and is slightly higher (1,685 metres (5,528 ft)).

Doi Suthep as seen from Chiang Mai
Doi Suthep
Doi Suthep
Location in Thailand
Highest point
Elevation1,676 m (5,499 ft)
ListingBuddhist temples on mountaintops in Thailand
Coordinates18°48′46″N 98°53′37″E 
Geography
LocationChiang Mai (Thailand)
Parent rangeShan Hills
Geology
Mountain typegranite

Doi Suthep is 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from Chiang Mai city centre. The vegetation below 1,000 metres (3,281 ft) is mostly deciduous forest, with evergreen forest above this elevation.

Chiang Mai and surroundings seen from Doi Suthep

Geography

The Doi Suthep - Doi Pui hill is part of the Thanon Thong Chai Range, the southernmost subrange of the Shan Highland system.[1] Other high peaks of the same range are Doi Luang Chiang Dao (2,175 metres (7,136 ft)), Doi Pui (1,685 metres (5,528 ft)), and Doi Inthanon, the highest point in Thailand, at 2,565 metres (8,415 ft).[2]

Road in Doi Suthep - Doi Pui National Park

Temple

The temple Wat Phra That Doi Suthep is on top of a hill (around 1,060 metres (3,478 ft)) forming Doi Suthep. This Buddhist place of worship dates back to the 13th century.[3] It is an important venue for the devout and a legend featuring a white elephant is connected to this revered site. There are views of Chiang Mai city and its surroundings from the top of this mountain.

National park

This mountain is part of the Doi Suthep-Pui National Park.[4] The park was established in 1981 and has an area of 261 square kilometres (101 sq mi) that includes the Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep temple as well as Bhubing Rjanives Palace, further up the mountain.[5]

Doi Pui, the other peak of the massif, is closeby via a surfaced road as well as through forest paths. Hmong hill tribe people live in the surrounding area.

Environment

The chief of Doi Suthep-Pui National Park voiced his concerns in 2018 about the increasing amount of garbage produced by the large number of tourists visiting Doi Suthep temple, a must-see site for Chiang Mai tourists. Untreated water and garbage from more than 300 shops and a large number of tourists is damaging the area's natural environment. Untreated waste water flows directly into the Huai Rap Sadet Waterfall. The annual Visakha Bucha pilgrimage up Doi Suthep leaves more than 30 tonnes of garbage in its wake.[6]

References
  1. The Physical Geography of Southeast Asia, Avijit Gupta, Oxford University Press, 2005. ISBN 978-0-19-924802-5
  2. Wolf Donner, The Five Faces of Thailand. Institute of Asian Affairs, Hamburg 1978 - ISBN 0-7022-1665-8
  3. "Wat Phra That Doi Suthep". Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). Archived from the original on 24 January 2015. Retrieved 25 Apr 2015.
  4. "Doi Suthep-Pui National Park". Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). Archived from the original on 25 April 2015. Retrieved 25 Apr 2015.
  5. "Bhubing Rajanives Palace". Tourist Authority of Thailand (TAT). Archived from the original on 2015-04-25. Retrieved 25 Apr 2015.
  6. Wipatayotin, Apinya (30 April 2018). "Effluent, garbage foul Doi Suthep". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
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