Following the footsteps of Buddha in the kingdom of Lanna (ตามรอยเท้าของพระพุทธเจ้าในอาณาจักรล้านนา) according to the Doi Ang Salung
Chronicle (ตำนานอ่างสลุง)
According to the ancient Doi Ang Salung Chronicle (ตำนานอ่างสลุง), the Buddha visited northern Thailand and left relics
there or predicted that relics would be left there after his death. While many of the places mentioned in the chronicle
cannot be identified and others are remote mountains, some of them still exist today, mostly in Chiang Mai province.
The Buddha's journey begins at Doi Kung in Hot District and he then moves north to Chiang Mai:
His monks address him: "Blessed One, you should establish your religion here. The Lawa will venerate you by raising tall
banners in your honour, and elderly Burmese ascetics will burn their robes. A large dwelling place will be constructed for
you and your disciples, known as Jotikarama [the Pali name for Wat Chedi Luang]."
After blessing some indigenous Lawa people who had made images of him the Buddha says:
"After i have passed away this place (Chiang Mai) will become a great city where my religion will flourish. It will
be a major center for monks and scholars."
Forseeing that the end of his life was drawing near, the Tathagata traveled to the Lawa town of Fang where, because of
his past karma, he ate [tainted] pork and became ill.
The Buddha then journeys to the bank of the Ping River, where he meets a naga who makes an offering of honey. The Buddha
grants the naga permission to build a Buddha image.
Overjoyed, the naga king made a reclining image of the Tathagata for both human and divine beings to venerate in
the future.
Today the image is located at Wat Phra Non Nong Phueng in Saraphi district. The Buddha and Ananda continue their journey:
Departing from the waterfall they journeyed on to the cave at Chiang Dao mountain. They both entered the cave and after
resting there a while went on their way.
Ananda is captured by a yakkha [giant/demon] beside the Ping River, but rescued by the Buddha, who predicts that the yakkha and two
white pigs will one day be reborn at the same time as kings.
"In this mango grove the three of them will make a reclining Buddha image [today at Wat Phra Non in Mae Rim district].
If people care for the image, they will prosper; if not, they will decline."
They continue their journey south:
When they had walked for some distance the Buddha felt the need to relieve himself. A naga king dug a hole and Indra
built a shelter over it. The Buddha predicted that in the future this site would be known as Phra Bat Yang Wit. [Today
the monastery, The Holy Footprint Bathroom Resting Place, is located in San Pa Tong district near Chiang Mai.]
Further south, the Buddha rests under a tree and mucus drips from his nose onto the tree's leaves. Ananda makes a relic
from these leaves and gives it to a Lawa farmer and a reliquary tower is made for it by Indra. Afterwards the Buddha
explains:
"This relic will be here as long as you live. In the future it will be known as Chom Thong because the relic was given
to the farmer on the leaves of a Thong tree."
Back in the vicinity of Chiang Mai, King Asoka asks the Buddha for hair relics.
The Lord Indra and King Asoka then took one of the hairs and enshrined it at the place where the Lord Buddha had
been sitting. This was called Wat Puppharam Suan Dok.
The Buddha continues northeast until he reaches a clump of bamboo:
He predicted that a monastery would be established there called Veluvanarama [the Bamboo Monastery - probably Wat Umong].
The arahant monks and King Asoka enshrined a second hair relic there.
After the Buddha passes away his disciples bring his relics to Doi Ang Salung in the kingdom of Chiang Dao and a
golden standing image of the Buddha is erected in Chiang Dao cave.
*Translations of the Doi Ang Salung Chronicle courtesy of Sacred Mountains of Northern Thailand and their Legends
by Donald Swearer et al.
