Wat Phra That Doi Tung

According to legend, Phra That Doi Tung was built during the reign of King Ashutrat, the ruler of the Yonok Nakphun kingdom (present-day Mae Chan district). Phra Mahakassapa was entrusted with the relic of the Buddha, specifically the collarbone relic, and presented it to King Ashutrat, who then constructed a stupa to enshrine the relic on this mountain, as the Buddha had prophesied. The king then ordered the creation of a flag (Tung) 1,000 wah long to be planted at the peak of the mountain. Wherever the flag was blown, that location was designated as the base for the stupa. The king also granted gold to the Lao people as land compensation and assigned 500 families of Mylakkhu to care for the relic. Later, during the reign of King Mangrai of the Singhanavati Dynasty, Phra Mahavajiraphothi brought 50 relics and offered them to the king. King Mangrai then ordered the construction of another stupa near the original one. Since then, Phra That Doi Tung has had two stupas, which stand to this day.