Wat Phrathat Doi Saket (วัดพระธาตุดอยสะเก็ด)

Thai. Name of a hilltop temple located in Chiang Mai province. It features the giant golden Maha Pathimakorn (มหาปฏิมากร) Buddha statue, seated in the pahng prathan phon posture, i.e. the ‘position of giving a blessing’ or ‘blessing pose’. Adjacent to this, is a pagoda that contains a hair relic of the Buddha, whilst on the pinnacle of Doi Saket, is another giant Buddha statue, of a crowned Buddha known as Maha Chakraphad, i.e. the ‘Great Emperor’.IIt is  built in a style reminiscent of Burmese Jambupati Buddha images (fig.) and is seated in the maravijaya pose underneath a golden chattra, i.e. a multi-layered umbrella. This golden statue is situated at the end of a 227-step staircase, a number reminiscent of the pahtimohk, i.e. the 227 precepts or rules of monastic discipline for Buddhist monks. In addition, a reclining Buddha image with a length of 59 meters and 99 centimeters, is constructed at the base of the staircase. Its measurements are symbolic as the number nine is considered to be auspicious. The name Doi Saket is said to be a distortion of Doi Senket (ดอยเส้นเกศ). Whereas the word doi is northern Thai dialect for ‘mountain’, senket translates as a ‘strand of hair’ and applies to the Buddha's hair relic. On the southeastern flank of Doi Saket is a platform with a replica of the Golden Rock at Mount Kyaihtiyo (fig.) in Myanmar's Mon  State, that also contains a hair relic of the Buddha. WATCH VIDEO. 回