The short version of the story goes like this. A monk found Buddha's shoulder bone, claiming to have magical powers. He took the bone to King Dharmmaraja but it displayed no such powers for him, so the king was uninterested. Instead, the monk took the bone, which split in two, to King Nu Naone of the Lanna Kingdom in northern Thailand. The smaller piece of the relic was enshrined at Suandok, but the King couldn't decide where to keep the larger bone fragment relic of the Buddha. He placed the relic on the back of a white elephant, which roamed the area until it climbed Doi Suthep, trumpeted 3 times, then died. Seeing this as a sign, the king decided to build a temple to house the relic here in 1383. Since then, the temple complex has expanded.
As far as the view, we are in the end of the rainy monsoon season, so the skies are cloudy and hazy. We're suppose to be able to see Chiang Mai city from the temple, but it wasn't very clear. The best time for views is in the dry season coming up, November - January. It also happens to be the busiest tourist season. Go figure.
