Wiang Kum Kam Wiang Kum Kam is an ancient city and a remarkable landmark in Chiang Mai, built by King Mangrai before establishment of Chiang Mai.

Wiang Kum Kam was a settlement long before it became King Mangrai's capital around 1287-90.  Frequent flooding caused Mangrai to move, but the place remained important throughout the Lanna period.  The site was later buried under mud when the river changed course during the Burmese period.  The area was restored as a historical park during the 1980's.  Surrounded by paddy and village houses, the extensive site has a pleasant rural feel, yet it is very close to Chiangmai.  The best way to see it is by bicycle or motorcycle.  

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, one of many fortified cities built by King Mengrai as he consolidated his hold on the north.  In fact, it appears that Mengrai may have lived at Wiang Kum Kam for a few years before Chiang Mai was constructed.

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 fact, the Ping river originally flowed along the north side of the town, but at some point during the Burmese occupation from the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries, the river changed course and now flows along the west side of the site. The change of course was apparently the final straw which caused the city to be largely abandoned for 300 years.

The site is too large to cover on foot. The best way to see it is to start at the still working temple of Wat Chedi Liam, and tour the site by bicycle, tram or pony carriage.  The nine main sites taken in on a typical tour are not greatly interesting compared to many of Thailand's ancient sites.  What does make the trip worthwhile is the gentle pace and scenery of the countryside viewed from the back of a carriage or on a bicycle.

 
Although most of the sites are not much more than platforms and ruined chedis, there are two working temples in the area that date from the city's heyday at the end of the thirteenth century.  One is your logical starting point, Wat Chedi Liam.  The other, more vibrant temple is Wat Khan Tom (also known as Wat Chang Kum), where in fact the spirit of King Mengrai is said to still reside.

Wat Sri Bun Ruang
The old viharn of this temple has been given a new roof and is brightly decorated.  The result is an ornate and very colorful building that mixes the old and the new.

Wat Khan Tom
Wat Chang Kham is at the heart of Wiang Kum Kam.  The temple contains the remains of former Wat Kan Thom as well as a spirit house that is revered as the home of the spirit of King Mangrai.  The temple has a Lanna-style chedi and a finely decorated new viharn built in 1987.

Wat Chedi Liam( Koh Klang Road)
The main feature of interest is the Haripunchai-style chedi built around 1286.  It is a square stepped chedi with Buddha images in niches at each level.  The chedi is a replica of the Mahapol Chedi at Wat Chamadevi in Lamphun.

McKean Institute
KM.4 Koh Klang Rd., Chiangmai
Hours: 08:00-16:30
Tel: 053 817170
This former leprosarium is a rehabilitation center set in beautiful, quiet grounds next to the river. Colonial-style architecture includes a church with flying Buttresses.  The institute plans to open a museum in a building restored to its original 19th century condition.

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