Lamphun ( th, ลำพูน, ) is a town (''

thesaban mueang Thesaban ( th, เทศบาล, , ) are the municipalities of Thailand. There are three levels of municipalities: city, town, and sub-district. Bangkok and Pattaya are special municipal entities not included in the ''thesaban'' system. The mu ...

'') in northern Thailand, capital of

Lamphun Province Lamphun ( th, ลำพูน, ; Northern Thai: ) is one of Thailand's seventy-six provinces (''changwat''), lies in upper northern Thailand. Neighboring provinces are (from north clockwise) Chiang Mai, Lampang, and Tak. Geography Lamphun is ...

. It covers the whole ''

tambon ''Tambon'' ( th, ตำบล, ) is a local governmental unit in Thailand. Below district (''amphoe'') and province (''changwat''), they form the third administrative subdivision level. there were 7,255 tambons, not including the 180 ''khwaeng'' ...

'' Nai Mueang of

Mueang Lamphun district Mueang Lamphun ( th, เมืองลำพูน; ) is the capital district ('' amphoe mueang'') of Lamphun province, northern Thailand. Geography Neighboring districts are (from the south clockwise) Mae Tha and Pa Sang of Lamphun Province ...

. As of 2006 it has a population of 14,030. Lamphun lies north of

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...

and south of

Chiang Mai Chiang Mai (, from th, เชียงใหม่ , nod, , เจียงใหม่ ), sometimes written as Chiengmai or Chiangmai, is the largest city in northern Thailand, the capital of Chiang Mai province and the second largest city in ...

History

Lamphun was founded by Queen Chama Thevi as the capital of the Haripunchai Kingdom, the last and most northerly Mon kingdom in the area which now forms

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

. Around south of

, it was constructed in the shape of a conch shell, following the Khuang River on its east side and divided by moats at the remaining points of the compass. Queen Chama Thevi is remembered in the

wat A wat ( km, វត្ត, ; lo, ວັດ, ; th, วัด, ; khb, 「ᩅᨯ᩠ᨰ」(waD+Dha); nod, 「ᩅ᩠ᨯ᩶」（w+Da2)) is a type of Buddhist temple and Hindu temple in Cambodia, Laos, East Shan State, Yunnan, the Southern Provi ...

of her name, which is said to be the resting place of her ashes. Near the town's main morning market in the south-west of the city is a statue of the queen at which offerings are still made today by citizens. While still living in the north King Mangrai was visited by some merchants from the Mon Kingdom, and hearing of the wealth of Lamphun he determined to conquer it, even against the advice of his councillors. As it was deemed impossible to take the city by force, he sent a skillful merchant called Ai Fa to gain the confidence of the King Yi Ba, and in time he became the chief minister and managed to undermine the king's authority. In 1281, with the people in a state of discontent, Mangrai defeated the Mon Kingdom, and added the city and its wealth to his kingdom, while Yi Ba, the last king of Hariphunchai, was forced to flee south to

Lampang Lampang, also called Nakhon Lampang ( th, นครลำปาง, ) to differentiate from Lampang province, is the third largest city in northern Thailand and capital of Lampang province and the Mueang Lampang district. Traditional names for La ...

. Lamphun was then incorporated into the new

Lanna The Lan Na Kingdom ( nod, , , "Kingdom of a Million Rice Fields"; th, อาณาจักรล้านนา, , ), also known as Lannathai, and most commonly called Lanna or Lanna Kingdom, was an Indianized state centered in present-day ...

Kingdom. Ai Fa was subsequently appointed king, and King Mangrai began building the fortress

Wiang Kum Kam Wiang Kum Kam ( th, เวียงกุมกาม; nod, ᩅ᩠ᨿᨦᨠᩩᨾᨠᩣ᩠ᨾ) is an historic settlement and archaeological site along the Ping River, which was built by King Mangrai the Great as his capital before he moved it to C ...

as his new capital. Lamphun is host to one of northern Thailand's most important temples,

Wat Phra That Hariphunchai Wat Phra That Hariphunchai ( th, วัดพระธาตุหริภุญชัย) is a Buddhist temple (''wat'') in Lamphun, Thailand. The temple's origins date from the 11th century but the central stupa is thought to originate in the ...

, featured on the reverse of the

one-satang coin The Thailand one-satang coin is a currency unit equivalent to one-hundredth of a Thai baht. It is rare in circulation but used in banking transactions. The first satang coin was issued from 1908 to 1937, and featured a hole through the middle. It ...

. The ''phra that'' in the title indicates the presence of a

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was ...

relic In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tangi ...

, in this case one of his hairs, which was interred in the chedi in 897, which is probably the founding date of the wat. The town is surrounded by lush countryside punctuated by rice fields and orchards of the popular fruit,

longan ''Dimocarpus longan'', commonly known as the longan () and dragon's eye, is a tropical tree species that produces edible fruit. It is one of the better-known tropical members of the soapberry family Sapindaceae, to which the lychee and rambut ...

, which is celebrated in a festival every August.

Geography

The town is in the

Ping River The Ping River ( th, แม่น้ำปิง, , ), along with the Nan River, is one of the two main tributaries of the Chao Phraya River. It originates at Doi Thuai in the Daen Lao Range, in Chiang Dao district, Chiang Mai province. After pas ...

valley, between the

Thanon Thong Chai Range The Thanon Thong Chai Range ( th, ทิวเขาถนนธงชัย, , formerly Thanon Range; Burmese ''Tanen Taunggyi'') is a mountain range in northern Thailand. Its tallest peak is Doi Inthanon, the highest point in Thailand. Most ...

on the west and the

Khun Tan Range The Khun Tan Range ( th, ทิวเขาขุนตาน or, erroneously, ทิวเขาขุนตาล) is a mountain range that occupies a central position in Northern Thailand. Most of the range is located in Chiang Mai, west ...

in the east.

Climate

References

External links

*
Lamphun town Website
{{Authority control Populated places in Lamphun province Cities and towns in Thailand Old Cities of Mon people ru:Лампхун (провинция)