Goerwitz

This temple, Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, is one of Chiang Mai's most important landmarks. It was built originally in 1383, and it overlooks the city from 15 kilometers to the west, atop a mountain ridge, 3,520 feet above sea level. You reach the temple by driving up a winding road then climbing a 290-step staircase (or, for the faint of heart, the funicular).

Major temples like Wat Phra That Doi Suthep draw people from all over the country, and beyond.

Thai people believe that contributions to temples and to the monks who inhabit them make great merit for themselves, and advance their spiritual standing, either in this life or the next life (nearly all Thais are Therawada Buddhists and therefore believe in reincarnation). Temples also serve as focal points of local and regional pride. Even at the village level, local headmen see it as their duty to provide for the maintenance and upkeep of their local wats, contributing both money and a rotating labor pool.

Missionaries and non-Buddhists living out in the countryside may be offended when they are asked to contribute to such efforts. This attitude is puzzling for many rural Thais, who don't see Buddhism as a "religion" per se, so much as an expression of their culture, values, and often (as noted) local pride.