LAMPHUN
	Source of longans,silk & cotton
	By Dararai

	Hariphunchai Stupa (Photo by courtesy of TAT)

Lamphun, known in ancient history as Hariphunchai, is the oldest and smallest province in the north of Thailand which is aged around 1,400 years and covers an area of 4,505 sq. km. It is 665 km from Bangkok.

Lamphun is a centre of Lanna¹ culture, ancient monuments and beautiful natural attractions. Most of its inhabitants depend on agricultural activities for their livelihood. Longans and leeks are its major cash crops. Moreover, the Lamphun people possess fine craftsmanship of cotton and silk weaving, pottery and basketry.

Lamphun was firstly ruled in 657 A.D. by Queen Chammathewi who was a daughter of a Lawo² king. The Hariphunchai Kingdom had been prospered for about 600 years with 50 kings reigning. To name just a few; King A-thittayaraj, the 32rd king who built Hariphunchai Stupa, and King Sapphasit, the 34th king who established Wat Chetawan and Wat Mahawan and restored Ku Kut Chedi of Wat Chammathewi.

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¹The word "Lanna" refers to the northern region of Thailand roughly covering today's provinces of Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Lamphun, Lampang, Phayao, Nan, Phrae and Mae Hong Son. That is because Lanna was the name of an ancient kingdom founded by King Mangrai in 1296.

²Lawo or Lop Buri (153 km north of Bangkok) was an important city in the reign of King Narai (1657-1688). Earlier, it had been one of the capitals of the Khmers who expanded their power to Lawo around the 10th century and ruled over the area until the 13th century.

Wat Phrathat Hariphunchai at night (Photo by courtesy of TAT)

A statue of Queen Chammathewi is situated in Nong Dok Park, one kilometre to the south of the City Hall. It was made by artisans from the Fine Arts Department in the standing position with a sword in her left hand.

Statue of Queen Chammathewi (Photo by courtesy of TAT)

Later, the Hariphunchai Kingdom declined and was defeated by King Mangrai of the Yonok Kingdom who founded Chiang Mai in 1296. From then on, the power of Hariphunchai continued to fall. But it was not until the reign of King Rama I of the Rattanakosin Period (1782-1809) that Hariphunchai was designated as Lamphun Province of the Kingdom of Siam.

A large number of temples in the province indicate Lamphun's prosperity in the olden days. It is said that temples in Lamphun are the prototype of all the temples in the Lanna region.

The entrance to Wat Phrathat Hariphunchai

Even though most tourist attractions in Lamphun are historical, the province also boasts magnificent natural scenes like Mae Ping and Khun Tan national parks. Its Major attractions are as follows:

Left:The belfry in Wat Phrathat Hariphunchai Right: The Viharn Luang of Wat Phrathat Hariphunchai

Wat Phrathat Hariphunchai

Located at the heart of Lamphun city, this temple was built by King A-thittayaraj in 897 A.D. It is contemporary with Burobudur Temple in Indonesia. Phrathat Hariphunchai Stupa is regarded as the most beautiful in the Lanna Kingdom. It was a model for the stupas built later such as Phrathat Doi Suthep in Chiang Mai, Phrathat Chae Haeng in Nan and Phrathat Lampang Luang in Lampang.

Ho Trai or the Buddhist scripture library of Wat Phrathat Hariphunchai

The golden Phrathat Hariphunchai is of Lanna art with a height of 44 metres. Inside are enshrined the Lord Buddha's hair and other relics. Besides the stupa, other constructions in the temple compound are no less interesting. Ho Trai or the Buddhist scripture library looks similar to that of Wat Phra Sing in Chiang Mai but only different in that there are no surrounding angel stuccos in the former. The Belfry is a magnificent red sandstone castle housing a flat gong which was made by a governor of Phrae. The Archway and a large pair of sculptured lions in front of the temple reveal delicate art. Suwanna Chedi is a many-tiered stupa. Each tier has numeral niches, in each of which is enshrined a Buddha image.

Hariphunchai National Museum

The museum is opposite Wat Phrathat Hariphunchai. It exhibits antiques from the Hariphunchai period.

Wat Chammathewi (Photo by courtesy of TAT)

Wat Chammathewi

Wat Chammathewi was formerly called Wat Ku Kut. It is situated 1.5 km west of the city hall. This temple is believed to be established by the two sons of Queen Chammathewi but there is no evidence telling when. There is a stupa named Suwanna Changkot Chedi which houses her relics. The stupa is rectangular in shape.
As for the name "Ku Kut", it was derived from the fact that the top of this stupa fell apart because of an earthquake. "Ku" means a stupa and"kut" means without its top.

Suwanna Changkot Chedi

Wat Mahawan

This temple is well known for the small Buddha images worn as amulets found in a niche under the main stupa. What to see here is a seated Buddha image protected by a seven-headed naga which is believed to be taken from Lawo by Queen Chammathewi. It is 500 metres from the City Hall.

Ku Chang stupa (Photo by courtesy of TAT)

Ku Chang Ku Ma

Ku Chang is a cylindrical stupa believed to be a cemetery of the warrior elephant of Queen Chammathewi named "Nga Khiao" (green tusks). Ku Ma is a bell-shaped stupa believed to be a cemetery of the warrior horse of a son of Queen Chammathewi. These two stupas are in the provincial town.

Statue of Khruba Si Wichai

A figure of Khruba Si Wichai is located at the foot of Mount Doi Ti, five kilometres from the provincial town. Khruba Si Wichai was a most revered monk of the north who was the leader in the development of the Lanna region.

The Footprint of the Buddha

Wat Phra Phuttha Bat Tak Pha

This temple is located in Pasang County. It contains a footprint of the Buddha and a trace of his robe that was believed to be hung over a cliff.

Wat Phra Phuttha Bat Tak Pha

According to a legend, the Buddha once stayed over night here and hung his robe on a rocky cliff, the trace of which can still be seen today. The Buddha also left a footprint on a slope.

A lake in Mae Ping National Park (Photo by courtesy of TAT)

Mae Ping National Park

This park is located in Li County and straddles pieces of lands in three provinces including parts of the Mae Ping River. It covers an area of 1,003 sq.km. filled with verdant forests. Rapids are scattered along the water way and cliffs are seen along the river.

Doi Khun Tan National Park

This park features the Khun Tan Tunnel which is a 1,352-metre-long railway tunnel and is the longest in Thailand. There is a monument commemorating Emil Eisenhofer, a German engineer conducting the tunnel construction. It is situated in Mae Tha County.

Products of Lamphun

Lamphun is famous for its succulent longans and delicate hand woven silk and cotton.

Longan harvesting (Photo by courtesy of TAT)

Longans of Lamphun are of high quality and delicious. Popular species are kalok, pink, biao kiao and i-do. Lamphun, though small in size, has the largest areas for planting longans because its soil is very suitable for this kind of plant. Each year, there are almost 300,000 tons of longans produced here. Due to the huge quantity, preserved longans like dried longans, longan wine and longan powder have been introduced to the markets. Of these, dried longans or golden longans are a favourite export.

Hand woven silk and cotton of Lamphun (Photo by courtesy of TAT)

Hand woven silk and cotton of Lamphun are famous for their lustrous and exceptional beauty. The know-how of Lamphun silk was passed down from the royal court in Bangkok via Chao Dararasmi, a consort of King Rama V who was a relative of Lamphun's governor at that time. These products are available in the provincial town, Ban Don Luang and Ban Nong Ngueak in Pa Sang County.

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How to get there (from Bangkok)

• By car
Go along Highway 1 (Phahonyothin Road), passing Don Muang and Rangsit. Turn left at Km32, going through Sing Buri Province and Chainat Province to get to Nakhon Sawan Province. Then turn left onto Highway 11 leading to Lamphun Province. The journey takes about 8 hours.

• By coach
Daily coach (normal and air-con) services from Bangkok North & Northeast Bus Station (Mochit 2). It takes 9 hours.

• By rail
Daily train services from Bangkok Railway Station (Hua Lamphong). See Useful Calls for phone numbers.

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