Thailand | Chiang Rai

Chiang Rai

Chiang Rai province is Thailand's northernmost province situated between north latitude 14º and east longitude 49º. It covers an area of some 11,678 sq km making it the twelfth largest province. The provincial capital, Chiang Rai city, is approximately 785 km north of the nation's capital, Bangkok.

Chiang Rai is most famous for the things it had and lost. It was founded in 1263 by King Mengrai of Ngon Yang who, having recaptured a prize elephant he'd been chasing around the foot of Doi Tong, took this as an auspicious omen for a new city. Tradition has it that Chiang Rai prevailed as the capital of the north for thirty years, but historians now believe Mengrai moved his court directly from Ngon Yang to the Chiang Mai area in 1290s. Thailand's two holiest images, the Emerald Buddha (now in Bangkok) and the Phra Singh Buddha (now perhaps in Bangkok, Chiang Mai or Nakhon Si Thammarat, depending on which story you believe), also once resided here before moving on - at least replicas of these can be seen at Wat Phra Kaeo and Wat Phra Singh.

Chiang Rai Map