Northern Thailand - Thailand - page 583

27 Krung Thai Bank D3

Sanuksabai (see 11)

28 Siam City Bank D3

History
Although Lampang Province was inhabited as far back as the 7th century in the Dvaravati
period, legend has it that Lampang city was founded by the son of Hariphunchai's Queen
Chama Thewi, and the city played an important part in the history of the Hari- phunchai
Kingdom.
Like Chiang Mai, Phrae and other older northern cities, modern Lampang was built as a
walled rectangle alongside a river (in this case, Mae Wang). At the end of the 19th and be-
ginning of the 20th century, Lampang, along with nearby Phrae, became an important
centre for the domestic and international teak trade. A large British-owned timber com-
pany brought in Burmese supervisors familiar with the teak industry in Burma to train
Burmese and Thai loggers in the area. These well-paid supervisors, along with independ-
ent Burmese teak merchants who plied their trade in Lampang, sponsored the construction
of more than a dozen temples in the city, a legacy that lives on in several of Lampang's
most impressive wáts and the beautiful antique homes along Th Talad Gao.

Sights & Activities

Wat Phra Kaew Don Tao
OFFLINE MAP GOOGLE MAP

BUDDHIST TEMPLE

(off Th Phra Kaew; admission 20B; daylight hours) The main chedi shows Hariphunchai influence,
while the adjacent mon·dòp (small square-sided building with a spire) was built in 1909.
A display of Lanna artefacts can be viewed in the wát's Lanna Museum (admission by donation;
7am-6pm) .
Adjacent to the temple complex, Wat Suchadaram dates back to 1809 and is named after
Mae Suchada, the central figure in a local legend (see the boxed text on Click here ) .
Wat Phra Kaew Don Tao's mon·dòp , decorated with glass mosaic in typical Burmese
style, contains a Mandalay-style Buddha image. From 1436 to 1468, Wat Phra Kaew Don