Discover Ancient Temples in Chiang Mai’s Suburbs

via South China Morning Post, 16 July 2024: Wiang Kum Kam, located 5km south of Chiang Mai, was the first capital of the Lanna Kingdom before being abandoned due to flooding. Rediscovered in the 1980s, this ancient site offers a unique glimpse into Thailand’s past with its restored 13th-century temples amidst modern suburban life.

Northern Thailand was once part of the Kingdom of Lanna – the name meaning “a million rice fields” – which, in its heyday between the 14th and 16th centuries, extended to parts of modern-day Laos, China and Myanmar.

Chiang Mai became the capital of this kingdom in 1296, but for a decade before that, King Mangrai ruled his domain from Wiang Kum Kam, 5km to the south of the city.

The region around Wiang Kum Kam was prone to flooding and after just five years, Mangrai began moving his base north to the plain between the mountain Doi Suthep and the Ping River, where he built the walled city of Chiang Mai.

Source: Thailand’s ‘Lost Kingdom’ in suburban Chiang Mai, where ancient temples sit beside houses