Four footprints of the Buddha, Mae Rim District, Chiang Mai Province: Influences on Buddhism in Lanna

Abstract

This article is a research article with 2 objectives: 1. to study the beliefs about the footprints of the Lord Buddha in Lanna and 2. to analyze the influence of 4 footprints of the Lord Buddha on the Lanna people. This is a qualitative research by studying documents accompanying in-depth interviews. The research results found that:
Lanna people have beliefs about the footprints of the Lord Buddha because they were influenced by Sri Lanka. They believe in the footprints of the Lord Buddha at Khao Sumana Kut and believe that the footprints of Buddhism are symbols of the Lord Buddha. Those who pay homage to the footprints of the Lord Buddha are like paying homage to the Lord Buddha directly. There are 136 footprints of the Lord Buddha in Lanna, but the most popular one is the footprints of the Lord Buddha at Wat Phra Bat 4 Roi, Mae Rim District, Chiang Mai Province. It is a footprint of 4 Lord Buddhas, overlapping from the largest to the smallest. The belief and respect for the 4 footprints of the Lord Buddha led to the tradition of paying homage to the footprints of the Lord Buddha on the full moon day of the 6th month of every year and has an influence on the community, which can be classified into 3 aspects: traditional influence, artistic influence, and economic influence.