Phrao ( th, พร้าว, ) is a district (''

amphoe An amphoe (sometimes also ''amphur'', th, อำเภอ, )—usually translated as "district"—is the second level administrative subdivision of Thailand. Groups of ''amphoe'' or districts make up the provinces, and are analogous to countie ...

'') in the north-eastern part of

Chiang Mai province Chiang Mai ( th, เชียงใหม่, ; nod, , ) is the largest Province (''changwat'') of Thailand. It lies in upper northern Thailand and has a population of 1.78 million people. It is bordered by Chiang Rai to the northeast, Lam ...

in northern

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 ...

. Its major town, ''Phrao'', lies 107 km north-northeast of Chiang Mai. The meaning of ''Phrao'' in English is 'coconut'.

History

The name ''Phrao'' was given to this city around 1281 by King

Mangrai Mangrai ( nod, ; th, มังราย; 1238–1311), also known as Mengrai ( th, เม็งราย),The name according to historical sources is "Mangrai", and this is used in most modern scholarly applications. "Mengrai", popularised by a 19 ...

Lan Na 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 ...

who had been on his way to invade Hariphunchai Kingdom. After this, Mangrai sent his third son, Khrua to rule Phrao. Hereafter, Phrao became one of the important cities of the Lan Na Kingdom. King

Tilokarat Tilokaraj ( th, พระเจ้าติโลกราช, ), also spelt Tilokarat and Tilokkarat, was the 9th monarch of the Mangrai Dynasty. Early life According to the Chiang Mai Chronicle, he was the sixth child of King Sam Phraya (also ...

, who is considered a god-king of Lan Na, once ruled this city before becoming a king.Chiang Mai Chronicle, 1998, pp.78

Geography

Neighboring districts are (from the south clockwise) Doi Saket, Mae Taeng, Chiang Dao, Chai Prakan of Chiang Mai Province, Mae Suai, and Wiang Pa Pao of Chiang Rai province. 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 ...

stretches from north to south along the eastern side of the district.

Administration

The district is divided into 11 sub-districts (''

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'' ...

''), which are further subdivided into 108 villages (''

muban Muban ( th, หมู่บ้าน; , ) is the lowest administrative sub-division of Thailand. Usually translated as 'village' and sometimes as 'hamlet', they are a subdivision of a tambon (subdistrict). , there were 74,944 administrative mu ...

''). Wiang Phrao is a township (''

thesaban tambon 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 ...

''), which covers parts of ''tambon'' Wiang and the whole of Thung Luang. There are a further nine tambon administrative organizations (TAO).

References

Bibliography

* ''The Chiang Mai Chronicle'' 2nd ed, tr. David K. Wyatt and Aroonrut Wichienkeeo, Chiang Mai: Silkworm Books, 1998, * Forbes, Andrew, and Henley, David, "The Vale of Phrao" in: ''Ancient Chiang Mai'' Volume 3. Chiang Mai: Cognoscenti Books, 2012. ASIN: B006IN1RNW * Ongsakul, Sarassawadee, ''History of Lan Na'', trans. Chitraporn Tanratanakul, Chian Mai: Silkworm Books, Thai text 2001, English text 2005,

External links