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Lopburi ( th, ลพบุรี, , ) is the capital city of Lopburi Province in Thailand. It is about northeast of Bangkok. It has a population of 58,000. The 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 ...
'') covers the whole '' tambon'' Tha Hin and parts of Thale Chup Son of Mueang Lopburi District, a total area of 6.85 km2.


Etymology

It was originally known as
Lavo Known as "Lavo" during most of its history, Lopburi Province is one of the most important cities in the history of Thailand. The city has a long history, dating back into the prehistory period since the Bronze Age of more than 3,500 years ago ...
or Lavapura, meaning "city of Lava" in reference to the ancient South Asian city of
Lavapuri Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...
(present-day Lahore, Pakistan).


History

The city has a history dating back to the Dvaravati period more than 1,000 years ago.Higham, C., 2014, ''Early Mainland south-east Asia'', Bangkok: River Books Co., Ltd., According to the ''Northern Chronicles,''
Lavo Known as "Lavo" during most of its history, Lopburi Province is one of the most important cities in the history of Thailand. The city has a long history, dating back into the prehistory period since the Bronze Age of more than 3,500 years ago ...
was founded by Phraya Kalavarnadishraj, who came from Takkasila in 648 CE. According to Thai records, Phraya Kakabatr from Takkasila (it is assumed that the city was
Tak Tak or TAK may refer to: Places * Dağdöşü or Tak, Azerbaijan, a village * Taq, Iran or Tak, a village * Tak province, Thailand ** Tak, Thailand, capital of the province Entertainment *'' Total Annihilation: Kingdoms'' or ''TA:K'' * Tak, ...
or Nakhon Chai Si) set the new era, Chula Sakarat in 638 CE, which was the era used by the Siamese and the Burmese until the 19th century. His son, Phraya Kalavarnadishraj founded the city a decade later. Lopburi, or Lavapura as it then was, was under the rule of the rising Angkor regime and became one of the most important centers in the Chao Phraya Basin from then on. Epigraphic evidence indicates that the dominant population of the city was
Mon Mon, MON or Mon. may refer to: Places * Mon State, a subdivision of Myanmar * Mon, India, a town in Nagaland * Mon district, Nagaland * Mon, Raebareli, a village in Uttar Pradesh, India * Mon, Switzerland, a village in the Canton of Grisons * An ...
. The earliest confirmed occurrence of the name Lavapura is on silver coins inscribed "lava" on the obverse and "pura" on the reverse in a Pallava-derived script of the seventh or eighth century; several such coins were recovered in 1966 from a hoard found in an ancient jar in
U Thong King U-thongThe Royal Institute. List of monarchs Ayutthaya''. ( th, พระเจ้าอู่ทอง) or King Ramathibodi I ( th, สมเด็จพระรามาธิบดีที่ ๑ ; 1314–1369) was the first king of ...
. Inscriptions say that Lopburi was incorporated into the administration structure of the Khmer Empire during the reign of Suryavarman I. Control of Lopburi gave the Khmer Empire access to trade going through the Kra Isthmus. There is some evidence the Khmer Empire, under Suryavarman II, fought against the Mons in the 12th century over
suzerainty Suzerainty () is the rights and obligations of a person, state or other polity who controls the foreign policy and relations of a tributary state, while allowing the tributary state to have internal autonomy. While the subordinate party is cal ...
. Lopburi sent embassies to China in 1115 and 1155. Lopburi (Lavo) is described in Book III of
Marco Polo Marco Polo (, , ; 8 January 1324) was a Venetian merchant, explorer and writer who travelled through Asia along the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295. His travels are recorded in ''The Travels of Marco Polo'' (also known as ''Book of the Marv ...
's '' Travels'', where it is called '' Locach''. This came from the Chinese (Cantonese) pronunciation of Lavo, "Lo-huk". The city is referred to as "Lo-ho" in chapter 20 of the History of Yuan (元史 : ''Yuán Shǐ''), the official history of the Mongol, or Yuan Dynasty of China. Due to a scribal error in Book III of Marco Polo's travels treating of the route southward from
Champa Champa (Cham: ꨌꩌꨛꨩ; km, ចាម្ប៉ា; vi, Chiêm Thành or ) were a collection of independent Cham polities that extended across the coast of what is contemporary central and southern Vietnam from approximately the 2nd cen ...
, where the name Java was substituted for Champa as the point of departure, Java Minor was 1,300 miles to the south of
Java Major La grande isle de Java ("the great island of Java") was, according to Marco Polo, the largest island in the world; his Java Minor was the actual island of Sumatra, which takes its name from the city of Samudera (now Lhokseumawe) situated on its ...
, instead of from Champa, on or near an extension of the Terra Australis. As explained by Sir Henry Yule, the editor of an English edition of Marco Polo's ''Travels'': "Some geographers of the 16th century, following the old editions which carried the travellers south-east of Java to the land of '' Boeach'' (or Locac), introduced in their maps a continent in that situation". After the foundation of the
Ayutthaya Kingdom The Ayutthaya Kingdom (; th, อยุธยา, , IAST: or , ) was a Siamese kingdom that existed in Southeast Asia from 1351 to 1767, centered around the city of Ayutthaya, in Siam, or present-day Thailand. The Ayutthaya Kingdom is conside ...
in the 14th century, Lopburi was a stronghold of Ayutthaya's rulers. It became the capital of the kingdom during the reign of King Narai the Great in the mid-17th century and the king resided there about eight months a year. File:WaterBuffaloLopburiThailand2300BCE.jpg, Water buffalo, Lopburi, 2300 BCE File:CeramicLopburiThailand2300BCE.jpg, Ceramic, Lopburi, 2300 BCE


Archeological finds

* several flaked stone tools were discovered in Ban Mi district  dated back to the Paleolithic Age in 1931. * a number of tools, human burial sites and bronze accessories belong to Iron Age were found in
Lop Buri river The Lopburi River ( th, แม่น้ำลพบุรี, , ) is a tributary of the Chao Phraya River in central Thailand. It splits from the Chao Phraya river at Tambon Bang Phutsa, Singburi. Passing through Tha Wung district and the town of ...
Basin in 1964. * Bracelets and beads dated back 2700–3500 years were revealed at Ban Khok Charoen in 1966–1970. * Prehistoric human skeletons and clay jugs were found in Ban Tha Kae in 1979. * A Copper source was discovered in Khao Wong Phrachan in 1986–1994.


Geography

Lopburi lies on the
Lopburi River The Lopburi River ( th, แม่น้ำลพบุรี, , ) is a tributary of the Chao Phraya River in central Thailand. It splits from the Chao Phraya river at Tambon Bang Phutsa, Singburi. Passing through Tha Wung district and the town of ...
at an elevation of mostly surrounded by
alluvial plains An alluvial plain is a largely flat landform created by the deposition of sediment over a long period of time by one or more rivers coming from highland regions, from which alluvial soil forms. A floodplain is part of the process, being the smal ...
, although some hills rise to between and to the north-east.


Climate

Lopburi has a tropical savanna climate ( Köppen climate classification ''Aw''). Winters are dry and very warm. Temperatures rise until April, which is very hot with the average daily maximum at . The monsoon season runs from late April through October, with heavy rain and somewhat cooler temperatures during the day, although nights remain warm.


Transportation

The main road through Lobpuri is Route 1 (
Phahonyothin Road Phahonyothin Road ( th, ถนนพหลโยธิน, , ) or Highway 1 is a main road in Bangkok and one of the four primary highways in Thailand, which include Mittraphap Road (Highway 2), Sukhumvit Road (Highway 3), and Phet Kasem Road (Hi ...
), which starts in Bangkok, and continues through Lopburi, Chai Nat,
Nakhon Sawan Nakhon Sawan ( th, นครสวรรค์, ) is a city (''thesaban nakhon'') in Thailand, the name literally means "Heavenly City". The city is the capital of Nakhon Sawan Province, and covers the complete subdistrict (''tambon'') Pak Nam P ...
, Kamphaeng Phet,
Tak Tak or TAK may refer to: Places * Dağdöşü or Tak, Azerbaijan, a village * Taq, Iran or Tak, a village * Tak province, Thailand ** Tak, Thailand, capital of the province Entertainment *'' Total Annihilation: Kingdoms'' or ''TA:K'' * Tak, ...
, Lampang, Chiang Rai, and the border with Burma at
Mae Sai ''Mae Sai'' ( th, แม่สาย, ; Shan: , ), is the district town of Mae Sai District in the far north of Chiang Rai Province, Thailand. Mae Sai is a major border crossing between Thailand and Myanmar where the town of Tachileik, in Shan ...
. Route 311 leads west to Sing Buri, and Route 3196 leads south-west to
Ang Thong Ang Thong ( th, อ่างทอง, ) is a town (''thesaban mueang'') in Thailand, capital of Ang Thong Province. The town covers the entirety of ''tambon'' Talat Luang and Bang Kaeo as well as parts of the tambon Sala Daeng, Ban Hae, Ban It, ...
. Lopburi is a station of the
State Railway of Thailand The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) ( th, การรถไฟแห่งประเทศไทย, abbrev. รฟท., ) is the state-owned rail operator under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Transport in Thailand. History The SRT was ...
's Northern Line, forming the end of Bangkok's suburban service. Train service from Bangkok railway station (Hua Lamphong) in Bangkok usually takes about 2 hours. The third class train costs less than $1 and is a great way to experience the local culture and the "Real Thailand". Lopburi is served by the
Khok Kathiam KHOK is a radio station airing a country music format licensed to Hoisington, Kansas, broadcasting on 100.7 MHz FM. The station serves the Great Bend Great Bend is a city in and the county seat of Barton County, Kansas, United States. ...
airport, north of the town.


Culture

Today the city is best known for the thousands of
crab-eating macaque The crab-eating macaque (''Macaca fascicularis''), also known as the long-tailed macaque and referred to as the cynomolgus monkey in laboratories, is a cercopithecine primate native to Southeast Asia. A species of macaque, the crab-eating macaqu ...
s (''Macaca fascicularis'') that live in the middle of the city, especially around the Khmer temple, ''Prang Sam Yot'' and a Khmer shrine, ''Sarn Phra Karn''. It is suspected that urban expansion caused the monkeys to adapt to city life. They are fed by the local people, especially during the Monkey Festival. This festival usually occurs on the last Sunday of November. The monkeys can be aggressive, are not afraid of humans, and often steal whatever items or food they can find from unwary visitors. Most of the hotels and guesthouses in Lopburi are "monkey-proofed", using screen wire, or by screwing the windows shut. In the city signs are posted reading: During the 2020–21 COVID-19 pandemic, lack of tourists prompted hungry monkeys to harass local residents.Monkey gangs return to terrorize Thailand streets
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References


External links

* {{Coord, 14, 48, 0, N, 100, 37, 37, E, type:city(26000)_region:TH, display=title Populated places in Lopburi province Cities and towns in Thailand Populated places established in the 1st millennium