Wider World by CS

An almost forgotten paradise

Discover San Pa Tong and walk the path of history

Seen from the highway, the San Pa Tong district of Chiang Mai seems like a quiet rural community, not worth stopping by. However, on its backroads forgotten gems await visitors.

"This is an old road once used by travellers to access Chiang Mai before the highway from the Central Plains via Lampang was completed. A number of communities, as well as handicraft production bases once lined these roads. There is a doll factory, the Sa paper making community and even a blacksmith village," explained Pakaphol Kamnoi, my guide in San Pa Tong as he found me surprised to learn that the backroads of his hometown are much more lively than the main road.
"Around here, besides Lanna, Shan, Tai Khuen and Mon, there are also a lot of Yong."
Yong is an ethnic group whose ancestors migrated from Yong town in the Shan State of Myanmar, around two centuries ago. Lamphun is home to one of the biggest Yong communities in Thailand. Some of them also settled down in San Pa Tong, which is next to Pa Sang district in Lamphun. They have named their new community Pa Sang Noi, or Little Pa Sang.
"I am also a Yong," he smiled. "This road, which runs along the Ping River, probably follows the old route people used to travel between Lamphun and Chiang Mai centuries ago. But the history of San Pa Tong goes well beyond that. It can be traced back more than 1,000 years to the times of the Haripunchai Kingdom, which was centred in what is now Lamphun," said Pakaphol.
Back then, he continued, San Pa Tong was known as Wiang Tha Kan. The ancient town, which these days is also known as Ban Tha Kan, was protected by a rectangular moat that was 500m long and 700m wide.
The name Tha Kan, which was short for Panna Tha Kan, was mentioned in many historical records from the Lanna period. When King Mang Rai (1238-1317) established Chiang Mai, he planted a number of bodhi trees in satellite towns, which included Panna Tha Kan.
Later during the reign of King Tilokarat (1441-1487), Shan prisoners of war were imprisoned and forced to work here. Their skeletons are found at a temple called Wat Tha Kan. Centuries after that, when Phra Chao Kawila (1782-1813), the ruler of Chiang Mai, drove away the occupying Burmese troops from the region, Yong people were brought in to settle down here in 1796.
"However, the discoveries of octagonal pagodas, Buddha statues and amulets that mirror the art influences of Haripunchai indicates that Wiang Tha Kan is over 1,000 years old," Suwit Arthit, a volunteer guide at Wiang Tha Kan.
There are many ruins of ancient temples scattered throughout San Pa Tong district. In Ban Tha Kan alone, 20 sites of ancient temples have been found. People live alongside ruins that are 1,000 years ago.
"Here, it is quite common to find the foundation of an ancient temple in an orchard or rice paddy," Pakaphol said.
In more recent times, San Pa Tong once was a lively town. Motorists from the South had to drive via Lamphun and San Pa Tong to reach Chiang Mai. As a result, the section of the highway passing through the district was lined with handicraft makers to attract tourists.
These days, however, motorists can access Chiang Mai faster via Highway 11 from Lampang. With less traffic the commerce in San Pa Tong has died down. However, some of the handicraft makers continue with their trade.
Compared to more famous destinations in Chiang Mai, I found that San Pa Tong is much more undemanding to navigate and vendors here are easier to bargain with. From the Sa paper village, the doll factory, to the wood carving market, you can enjoy a slow-paced holiday.

This wooden Buddha image is the most important one at Wat Sri Naovarat. The image had a cavity in the chest when it was first found drifting in a stream. After reparation by the command of Chao Keo Naovarat, the hole was filled and the Buddha statue was officially named ‘Phra Chao Sak Khong Tan’, which means ‘teak Buddha image with full chest’.

Wiang Tha Kan is an ancient town whose history can be traced to more than 1,000 years ago. More than 20 ruins of Buddhist temples from the 13th-18th century are found here. Octagonal pagodas, which mirror Haripunchai style, are found alongside bell-shaped, Lanna-style pagodas on rectangular bases. Some Haripunchai-style pagodas are found inside the Lanna-style pagodas. It is quite common to find bits of bricks, ceramics, Buddha amulets, or even a foundation of a temple in the orchard or in rice paddies.

Wat Chedi Liam, or the temple with a square-shape pagoda, is a Mon temple. Monks at this temple still use the Mon language during rites. It is believed that the Mon community descended from people of the ancient Haripunchai kingdom.