The 14^th century temple of Wat Suan Dok is located just west of the old city walls on Suthep road. The temple was built by the King of Lanna for a revered priest visiting from Sukhothai as a place for the monk to spend the "rains retreat". The name of the temple roughly translates to "field of flowers."
     There are several unique features to this temple that you won't see in any other Wat around Chiang Mai, "or even elsewhere in Thailand".  The first is the temple's large Ubosot, or ordination hall. The Ubosot is unusual not only for its size, but also the fact that it is open on the sides rather than being totally enclosed.
Directly west of the Ubosot are several large stupas, or chedi in Thai.  Stupas will almost always contain Buddhist relics. The biggest and most important chedis will contain a relic of the Buddha himself. In the case of Suan Dok, "the largest stupa contained a relic that reputedly self-replicated". One of the relics was placed on the back of a royal white elephant, which was then allowed to wander where-ever it wanted to go. The elephant eventually came to a stop, and actually died, on Suthep mountain. Chiang Mai's most revered temple, Wat Prathat Doi Suthep, was built on the exact spot where the elephant came to rest.
Next to the stupas is a veritable forest of ornate white-washed reliquaries. This "city of the dead" houses the cremated remains of the rulers of Chiang Mai. Walking among these elaborate monuments, you could easily be reminded of the famous above-ground cemeteries of New Orleans.
     Wat Suan Dok is also a temple where you can try to learn more about Buddhism, through their "monk chat" program. At certain time, and on certain days of the week, you can talk with a Buddhist monk. This program is in part a chance for monks to practice their English skills, so don't expect fluent conversation.
This temple was built in a 14th century Lanna Thai monarch's pleasure gardens and is a favourite spot for photographers, particularly for striking sunsets. Several of the white chedis contain ashes of Chiang Mai's former royal family. The 500- year-old bronze Buddha image in a secondary chapel is one of Thailand's largest metal images.
This temple originally lay in a fortified square beyond the city walls. Legends tell that King Ku Na invited the venerable Sumana Thera, a very pious monk from Sukhothai to bring the Buddhism of Sri Lanka to Chiang Mai.The King offered him the royal flower garden (Suan Dok) as a place to build a temple. The temple was established in 1371.
When Sumana Thera was living in Sukhothai, he had a vision which showed him where to find a very holy relic that had long been buried near the city. When the relic was unearthed, miraculous illuminations took place confirming its power. These miracles did not repeat themselves for the King of Sukhothai, who left the relic in the care of the monk.
Thus when King Ku Na invited Sumana Thera to Chiang Mai, the monk brought the holy relic with him. When the relic was about to be enshrined at the temple, he found that the relic had split into two pieces. One of these pieces was kept at Wat Suan Dok, and the other was buried at Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep.
The main viharn was rebuilt in the early 1930's by Khru Ba Srivichai. A large Buddha image with a hand in the position for holding straw stands back to back with the main seated image. The images took on their present shape under Khru Ba Srivichai.
A smaller viharn to the south contains a seated Buddha image - the Phra Chao Kao Tue - cast by King Muang Kaew in 1504.
    The Lanna style image stands 4.7 meters tall and is made up of nine pieces. The walls of the Viharn are decorated with murals showing the previous lives of the Buddha (the Vessantara Jataka may be seen on the upper level of the north wall).
West of the main Viharn numerous chedi contain the remains of the royal family of Chiang Mai. These were collected from different sites in the city and placed there at the wish of Princess Dararatsmi in 1909. The compound also contains the northern campus of the Maha Chulalongkorn Buddhist University of the Mahanikai sect. A wall with tall ornamental gates surrounds the compound, and the remains of earthen walls that once surrounded the fortified monastery can still be seen on the opposite side of the road.