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Wat U-Mong

A visitor could spend forever visiting all the temples in Chiang Mai. There are some 373 of them within Amphoe Muang alone; 51 inside the moat and others scattered around from atop Suthep Mountain all the way to the outskirts of town. However, while almost everyone of them has one or more features that make them visit-worthy, some definitely are a must on most visitors' itineraries. Here are some that shouldn't be missed:

Wat U-Mong was built around 1296 and reconstructed during the time of Phrachao Kuena. Deserted for many years, the temple has been re-established recently and is now an extensive Buddha Dharma garden, with an array of plants and trees blossoming at their various seasons - many with intriguing Buddhist homilies attached to them (in Thai and English).

Legend has it that its famous u-mong or tunnels (from which it gets its name) were built for an unusually gifted but strangely- behaved monk called Jan, who was thought to lose his mind at regular intervals, when he would disappear into the forest. Since he was a particularly valued advisor to the King, the tunnels were especially constructed as places of refuge for him when his disturbed spells took over.

Other temples of interest are, for example, Wat Ched Yod, Wat Chiang Man, Wat Suan Dok, Wat Prathat Doi Suthep, Wat Pha Singh, and Wat Loke Molee.