Thailand: Yupparat school’s second chedi located near the former White Elephant Stable, Chiang Mai

The precincts of Yupparat School were once the site of the palace, white elephant stables and other royal buildings of the chao or Lords of Chiang Mai, and quite possibly of the earlier Burmese and Lan Na Kings. The area has long been intimately associated with Chiang Mai royalty, and as recently as 1891, the surveyor James McCarthy’s map of Chiang Mai, published by the Royal Geographical Society, London, marks the area as being the residence of the ‘Chief’.

Chiang Mai, sometimes written as 'Chiengmai' or 'Chiangmai', is the largest and most culturally significant city in northern Thailand, and is the capital of Chiang Mai Province. It is located 700 km (435 mi) north of Bangkok, among the highest mountains in the country. The city is on the Ping river, a major tributary of the Chao Phraya river.

King Mengrai founded the city of Chiang Mai (meaning 'new city') in 1296, and it succeeded Chiang Rai as capital of the Lanna kingdom. The ruler was known as the Chao. The city was surrounded by a moat and a defensive wall, since nearby Burma was a constant threat.

Chiang Mai formally became part of Siam in 1774 by an agreement with Chao Kavila, after the Thai King Taksin helped drive out the Burmese. Chiang Mai then slowly grew in cultural, trading and economic importance to its current status as the unofficial capital of northern Thailand, second in importance only to Bangkok.

Copyright:

CPA Media Co. Ltd.

Photographer:

David Henley

Credit:

Pictures From Asia