Khwai Phueak Khao Kaeo (, ) is a legendary white buffalo associated with Doi Khao Khwai Kaeo and Wat Phra That Doi Khao Kwai in Chiang Rai province, Thailand. In local tradition, the discovery of the buffalo's crystal horn is said to have given the mountain its name, Doi Khao Khwai Kaeo, also known as Doi Khao Khwai.
The buffalo is also referred to in local accounts as Khwai Phueak Kaeo Khao Saeng (). It appears in local legends concerning the history of the mountain and temple, alongside the legend of Sihuhata.
Legend According to a local tradition recorded by Mae Fah Luang University's Chiang Rai Database, a white buffalo lived with its mother and a herd of buffalo on the mountain. The young buffalo was described as a bodhisattva and had a crystal horn. As it grew, it became the leader of the herd because of its strength and intelligence. After many years, two elderly people went to cultivate land around the mountain and found the buffalo's crystal horn. The mountain subsequently became known as Doi Khao Khwai Kaeo.
Another version of the story tells of a mother and son who lived south of the ancient city of Phanthumati. They raised a female buffalo that gave birth to a white calf said to have come from heaven. The calf's horns grew long before it died. Years later, a farmer found the buffalo's skull and horns buried in sand. He polished one of the horns and discovered that it was made of crystal. The horn was believed to have brought him good fortune, and the mountain became associated with the name Doi Khao Khwai Kaeo.
Related traditions
The white buffalo legend forms part of a group of local traditions associated with the mountain. Another is the story of Sihuhata, a creature with four ears and five eyes that eats burning charcoal and produces gold as excrement. In the Sihuhata story, a poor man named Ai Thukkata captures the creature and eventually becomes wealthy. The story ends with Ai Thukkata becoming ruler and establishing the temple at the site of the cave where Sihuhata was captured.
The two legends are therefore connected to the same landscape, although they concern different legendary figures. The white buffalo is associated with the name of the mountain, while Sihuhata is associated with the later legend of Ai Thukkata and the founding of the temple.
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