The temples and old teak houses of Lampang and Lamphun present a fine blend of Thai, Burmese and Chinese art
Writer: VAEWPAILIN PAMORNNIYOM
Published: 23/07/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: Horizons
If you are fed up with the hustle and bustle of Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, try the neighbouring provinces of Lamphun and Lampang. You will love their peaceful charm.
Mong Nhoi Sin’s house boasts some of the most remarkable architecture you will see in Lampang town. Built more than 90 years ago, it is decorated in European and Burmese style.
Just 30 minutes drive from busy Chiang Mai, Lamphun is a quiet haven rich in historical architecture. For those fond of Thai history and all things ancient, this is the place to be. Hundreds of ancient temples interspersed with old wooden houses dating back over a thousand years litter the province, lending a fitting resonance to its unique cultural heritage.
Lampang, meanwhile welcomes visitors with a different atmosphere. Thanks to the teak trade that flourished at the turn of the 20th century pulling in foreign merchants, it has proved a lasting legacy that Lampang wears well even today. Teak houses still standing from that period add a charming old-world ambience to the provincial town, reputed for its horse-drawn carriages that still ply visitors around, just as they have done for decades.
Out of town, at the National Elephant Institute, visitors can learn about elephants, the beasts that played a stellar role in getting the timber business going a century ago.
Compared to Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, their more famous neighbours, the towns of Lamphun and Lampang are rather small and quiet, but their rich cultural heritage make them worthwhile for a visit.
Lamphun is around 20 kilometres south of Chiang Mai and Lampang 92 kilometres, putting them within convenient driving distance from Chiang Mai, where car rental service is readily available.
PB Air operates direct flights between Bangkok and Lamphun, as do other airlines. For more information, visit www.pbair.com
Trains leave Bangkok’s HuaLumphong railway station nightly forLamphun and Chiang Mai. For more information, call 1690 or visit www.railway.co.th.
The Transport Company operates both airconditioned and ordinary buses on the route. For more information, ring its call centre at 1490 or visit www.transport.co.th.
Kad Kong Ta in the local speak means trading street. In the old days this section of Lampang town was not just the junction of Thai, Burmese, Chinese and European cultures but also a trading hub. These days from 5-10pm it is a walking street, but only on weekends. Ban Komsan or Farang House, as the locals like to call it, belongs to a former millionaire from the days when timber business flourished in Lampang. Today it is used as a location for filming Thai dramas.
Most houses in Kad Kong Ta have wooden door arches carved in gingerbread style that arrived in Thailand around a century ago. Houses of Thai, Burmese and Chinese people in this area always have this style of arches, while those that belonged to Westerners boast arches that are adorned with stained glass.
The National Elephant Institute is the first of its kind in Thailand. Located on the Lampang-Chiang Mai Road, the largest elephant conservation centre in the country is reputed for maintaining very high standards. It offers a rare chance to get up-close to the animals, by training visitors to become their keepers, or mahouts, through various courses priced from 20,000 to 100,000 baht. Most of the pupils are foreigners. For tourists there is a show where they see elephants performing tasks like hauling logs, painting pictures and playing the ‘angalung’, a Thai musical instrument, and they can even sneak into their private moments—like watching them being bathed.
Boon Song is a Chinese drug store that’s been around for more than three generations. Available here are hundreds of kinds of herbs and Chinese medicine. Since the old days it has sold homemade medicine. The building housing the shop is painted red so locals also call it Tuk Daeng.
This building, Yan See Htai Lee Kee, combines Chinese, Burmese and European architectural styles. On its top is a bas relief depicting a mouse perched on a globe, meaning a businessman at the top of his game.
Wat Pong Sanook Nua is more than 1,300 years old, comprising identical north and south sections, located on Lampang-Jae Hom Road in Vieng Nue of Lampang. It is about six kilometres from Muang district.
Vihan Pan Ong at Wat Pong Sanook Nua, built more than 700 years ago, is a nice blend between Chinese, Burmese and Thai architecture. This beautiful temple won the ‘Award of Merit’ from Unesco in 2004 for outstanding preservation. Local villagers renovated the temple in the traditional way it was built—without relying on modern technology and raw materials— to restore it to its original state.
The stairs leading to the temple is special with its remarkable ‘Makara’—serpent with a dragon’s head. It symbolises the stairway to heaven.
Lanna paintings of Prince Vessantara —Buddha in his last life before attaining enlightenment—were accidentally found in the temple during its restoration. This painting is also found on Lanna flag, the ‘tung’, symbolising the various incarnations of Lord Buddha. The paintings are now under safe custody of temple officials.
This 700-year-old scripture box contains books on Buddhism. The image on the box are in line with Buddhist teaching that angels protect good people. The box is kept in the temple’s exhibition room, its contents original.
Si Wiang Chai pagoda at the Karen village of Ban Hua Tom may not be that popular among tourists, but it reflects the strong faith of the villagers who spent 150 million baht of their own cash building it. Elegant, it imitates the Shwedagon Pagoda in Burma.
Sunset at Mae Ping National Park in Li, Lamphun, is fascinating. The park also has a couple of waterfalls that are most beautiful in November.
The main pagoda at the 1,200-year-old Wat Chammathevi in Lamphun, houses 60 Buddha images. It is redolent with Dvaravati and Lawo arts.
Youths in colourful attires at the Look Keao Festival, when boys under the age of 20 ordain as novices to learn Buddhist doctrines and earn merit for their parents. All of them wear sunglasses and dress up colourfully, their faces embellished, after which they ride horses to the temple, to the accompaniment of dancing and singing, in what is one of the most remarkable customs of northern Thailand.
*Bron: Bangkok Post / www.bangkokpost.com *