Wat Phrathat Doi Kham or 鈥楾emple of the Golden Mount'; is located in Tambon Mae Hia; about 10km south of Chiang Mai Old City; in the lee of Doi Suthep. Temple records claim that the temple dates back over 1;300 years 鈥榯o 687 CE'; during the pre-Lan Na period when the region was inhabited by the indigenous animist Lawa.

Chiang Mai (meaning 'new city'); sometimes written as 'Chiengmai' or 'Chiangmai'; is the largest and most culturally significant city in northern Thailand. King Mengrai founded the city of Chiang Mai in 1296; and it succeeded Chiang Rai as capital of the Lanna kingdom.