Wat Umong (Tunnel Temple)

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• UNESCO Tentative List
• Registered historic sites of Thailand
• Коллекционер мест

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Wat Umong Suan Phutthatham is an active Buddhist monastery in the wooded foothills of Doi Suthep, near Chiang Mai University. Its history is associated with King Mangrai and the founding of the Lanna kingdom in the late thirteenth century. Local accounts say that a grove of bamboo was set aside for a monk invited from Sri Lanka. In the fourteenth century, brick meditation tunnels with four entrances were cut into the hillside. The Thai word umong means “tunnel,” and these passages gave the monastery its familiar name.

Inside, vaulted brick corridors lead to small altars and niches holding Buddha images. A large chedi rises above the mound, while the wider compound contains temple buildings, shaded paths, old sculptures and fragments of statues among the trees. Signs bearing Buddhist sayings in Thai and English can be found around the grounds. This meeting of forest, historic brickwork and an active monastic community gives Wat Umong a different character from the ornate temples in Chiang Mai’s central district. Visitors come to explore the tunnels, learn about the city’s Lanna heritage and walk through the quiet grounds. The monastery also functions as a meditation centre, with practice spaces used by monks and visitors. The tunnels remain places of worship, so a quiet manner and respectful clothing are appropriate when visiting the shrines.

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