The Royal Twin Pagodas

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Thailand Fly & Drive – Part 28 (Doi Inthanon)

The Royal Twin Pagodas, or Phra Mahathat Naphamethanidon and Nophamethanidon, are situated along the main road a short drive from the summit of the Doi Inthanon.

They were built to honour the 60th birthdays of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit. Sitting majestically on Thailand’s highest peak, they are certainly a sight to behold, and offer an amazing experience for visitors and devotees.

The parking situation around the temple is jam-packed, and we park our car quite some distance away at the parking lots just beside the restaurants, and I walk with the kids all the way down to the entrance to the pagodas.

The entrance fees are THB40 for adults and THB10 for kids. The admission price is well worth it, considering you would have already paid a fair bit to enter the National Park.

We first explore the King’s pagoda, followed by the Queen’s pagoda. The design and the upkeep of both the pagodas are impeccable. Inside and outside the pagodas you will see beautiful artwork depicting various Buddhist stories. There are also write-ups in English so there is a lot we can learn there. I was encouraged that even though we are not Buddhists, my kids were actually making the effort to read the text and to appreciate the wonderfully crafted illustrations and sculptured scenes that we saw. I feel it is so important that we can understand and appreciate beliefs that are different from our own.

The views from each pagoda are also breathtaking, ironically much better than the views from the summit of Doi Inthanon. Apparently this place is where you can take amazing sunrise and sunset shots!

One great thing about the pagodas was that there were actually escalators for visitors that lead up to both pagodas. Really great for the elderly and for those with difficulty in climbing steps. You still have to navigate the steps to get back down though.

At the Queen’s pagoda, instead of coming down the steps, it is more fun to use the route that runs through the gardens instead. Our kids certainly enjoyed walking down amidst the well manicured floral displays.