TAT Invites Tourists To Wiang Kum Kam

[Jai Dee]

TAT invites tourist to Wiang Kum Kam

The Tourism Authority of Thailand would like to invite tourists to view the traditional Lanna artworks at Wiang Kum Kam near Chiang Mai Province.

Wiang Kum Kam is one of many fortified cities constructed by King Mengrai. Nearly 20 temple sites have been uncovered in the area, which lies between the Ping River and the Lamphun Highway, south of Mahidol Road. The buildings were buried under ground by years of flooding, which apparently is the reason Mengrai eventually moved his capital to Chiang Mai. In 1984, just outside the modern Chiang Mai metropolitan area, archaeologists uncovered the remains of an ancient city. Research concluded that this was the city of Wiang Kum Kam. Many temples have then been discovered, including:

Wat E-Kang was once covered with sand, but only its pagoda emerged from the land. The temple has been named as E-Kang because many monkeys used to reside here.

Wat Nan Chang is a temple with many mythological animal statures such as Chinese unicorns and lions.

Wat Pupia has a pagoda that is slanted to the left and it is made from red stones.

Wat Thatkhao has a white pagoda. The temple has been renovated, and a Buddha statue has been constructed to cover the original Luang Phu Khao statue.

Wat Chediliem, or locally known as the golden pagoda, is constructed with red stones, with a 5-layered glass wall surrounding the elemental building. A total of 60 Buddha images can be found.

Wat Ku Padom has Chinese-oriented architectures such as dragon images. It is considered to be the first temple with such images in Lanna kingdom.

Wieng Kum Kam is a historical site of the Lanna, and it contains many invaluable artworks that need to be preserved for the younger generations as well as tourists to see. The city is certainly one of the beauties and has an exotic Lanna charm to draw in many more tourists.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 17 April 2006

[ThaiPauly]

Definatley worth a visit if you have not already been. You can hire a pony and trap to take you around,good value at 200 baht for over an hour.

What amazed me about the place was the lack of graffiti....back home these monuments would have been ruined by now as there is no security there whatsover.

[Ricardo]

Agreed, this is an interesting site to visit, and the horse/trap-ride is a very pleasant way to tour the area. Well worth doing !

[Ajarn]

What amazed me about the place was the lack of graffiti....back home these monuments would have been ruined by now as there is no security there whatsover.

One of the best things about this country, imo.

[Foggy Bottom]

As usual TAT's history and theses are completely incorrect and fly in the face of archaeological research

- refer to -

Wieng Kum Kam - Atlantis of Lan Na - available at DK Books and Asia Books

It's the only English Language guide book and history available, and has become the defacto source for local tour guides. Priced THB 225 - ISBN 974-85439-8-6

Also look for the articles in the archives of CityLife magazine (www.citylife-citylife.com) and Good Morning Chiangmai magazine (www.gmorning.info) - especially the March 2006 issue of Good Morning..... 2006 is the 720th anniversary of Mengrai founding the city (Buddhist 60th cycle - very auspicious) and it was that article that prompted the TAT initiative in the OP anfter the Good Morning article's author lambasted local authorities for failing to recognise the anniversary.

Another triumph for the Chiangmai expat journalist who's efforts so far have also led to the introduction of water taxis, pedestrian controlled crossings, and more parkland within the city.

Keep up the good work!

[Foggy Bottom]

Some links to help you find the info

Book review links -

Pattaya & Chiangmai Mail newspapers

The Nation

Good Morning Chiangmai

Citylife magazine - looks like the archive has been "retired"

Asia Books online listing for the book

CityLife magazine feature with accurate history reporting - (example)and Good Morning Chiangmai magazine March 2006 issue

[too true]

Agreed, this is an interesting site to visit, and the horse/trap-ride is a very pleasant way to tour the area. Well worth doing !

Reminds me of something that happened around Songkran. We used to live out there, the horses passed our house several times a day. Most/all of our regular Thai friends also live basically a stone's throw from parts of Wiang Kum Kam.

So, owner of one of the horses gets drunk and tries to ride his horse bareback on one of the streets. Or something ridiculous like that. Gets hit by a car. Don't want the horse to suffer, so they shoot it. Now they've got a disease free dead horse and what in the world are they going to do with it, they think out loud to each other. Surely you guys know where this is going. They ate it! In fact, they had so much horse that they called us and said "Do you want some dried horse?" Ummmm, no thanks

On a different, but still somehow connectable, note, why do Thai people run right over dogs like they're getting points in a video game, but chickens on the road stop traffic?

[Johpa]

On a different, but still somehow connectable, note, why do Thai people run right over dogs like they're getting points in a video game, but chickens on the road stop traffic?

All I know is that rural etiquette suggests that one must compensate the owner of a chicken that meets an early demise due to one's actions but that the death of a dog requires no such compensation. Except perhaps in Akha villages, a dead dog has not taken meat off the table. Besides, nobody but city folks pay for a dog, and then they only pay for really dumb ones.

[chanchao]

> and then they only pay for really dumb ones.

I'll say. Especially Golden Retrievers.. mental capacity of an amoeba in cute packaging.

Cheers,

Chanchao