Thailand: Makara balustrade at the Mon temple of Wat Chai Mongkhon, Chiang Mai

The Mon, a non-Tai group, were resettled in Chiang Mai at the beginning of the 19th century. They were traditionally hostile to the ruling Bamar people of Burma, and therefore generally considered to be natural allies of the Tai, whether in Lan Na, or further to the south in Siam.

The Mon, often associated with water and boats (notably in their main Bangkok areas of settlement at Pak Kret and Phra Padaeng), were settled around Wat Chai Mongkhon on the west bank of the River Ping just north of Charoen Prathet Soi 9. Today, however, there is precious little to suggest a Mon connection with this wealthy and rather over-elaborate temple which clearly receives substantial donations from the city’s wealthy Sino-Thai community. It is interesting to note that Mon often worked as boatmen in this area, and that today ‘river trips’ on the Maenam Ping start and end at the Wat Chai Mongkhon river landing.

Copyright:

CPA Media Co. Ltd.

Photographer:

David Henley

Credit:

Pictures From Asia