Thailand's
second city, Chiang Mai was founded in 1296 - nearly 500
years before Bangkok rose from the muddy banks of the Chao
Phya River.
For centuries, migrations
of displaced people from China, Northern Burma, and Laos, settled in the region
and over time, eventually united to form the independent Lanna Thai Kingdom.
Known
as the "Kingdom of a Million Ricefields" the Lanna capital, Chiang Mai,
flourished for several centuries as the major religious, cultural and trading
centre and became the centre for the study of Buddhism in northern Thailand.
At
the height of its influence, Lanna extended far into Burma and Laos, and in Thailand,
south as far as the town of Khampaeng Phet, near Sukhothai. After several incursions,
the Burmese invaded in 1556 and claimed the city. Chiang Mai remained in Burmese
hands until 1785 when they were finally expelled and Lanna Thai once again became
part of Thailand, but its influence had waned, with most of Thailand's development
happening further south.
Lanna remained independent until the Siamese government
finally integrated the independent Lanna states in 1904, and Chiang Mai became
an official province of Siam in 1933.
For many years, Chiang Mai remained
calm and apart form regional incursions, influences from the outside world were
minimal. The distance from Bangkok combined with the inaccessibility of the mountains
meant that Chiang Mai was almost unknown to the west, apart from a few intrepid
travellers. Before the railway line was completed in the late 1920's, Chiang Mai
was only accessible by river transport and elephant back, the perilous journey
from Bangkok taking over a month. (It now takes 55 minutes by plane.)
