Chiang Saen city - |
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อำเภอเชียงแสน |
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According to the well-known myth, Chiang Saen was a hidden
ancient city named Yonok Nak Phan, existed over 2,000 years ago
in the north of Chiang Rai. With the help from the Nagas (giant
serpents), Chiang Rai’s King Singhanawat had founded the city,
which later brought back lucks to the city. Yonok Nak Phan had
to suffer from the destiny, making the city collapsed, flooded
and was washed away from the earth. On the other hand, the
scientific studies explained that the cause of the devastation
was an earthquake that transformed the city to Chiang Saen Lake.
Apart from the story above, the evidence of the historical
existence of Chiang Saen proves that the city was in the reign
of King Meng Rai of the Lanna Kingdom and it was named under the
ancient language Tai used by Burmese and Northern Thai.
‘Chiang’ means ‘dense city’ and ‘saen’ probably relates
to King Meng Rai’s nephew, King Saen Phu, who served as the
third king of Chiang Saen after King Meng Rai. King Saen Phu had
ordered Chiang Sean the capital city from 1327-1341 before his
son, King Kham Fu took over the reign.
When Chiang Saen
experienced a decline, it was no longer a capital city but there
was still the great expansion on the Buddhism through many
governors as seen from the ruins discovered—75 temples within
the city and 66 outside Chiang Saen, which all certified the
Chiang Sean civilization under the influence of Buddhism. Later
in 1557, many cities including Chiang Mai and Chiang Saen were
invaded by the Burmese, following by troops from Ayutthaya.
The charming Chiang Saen is located among the convergence of
Thailand, Burma and Laos and sits next to the beautiful and
peaceful Mekhong River. It’s rich with the natural beauty and
many cultural heritages waiting for you to explore. With its
long history, Chiang Saen is an ideal place for you learn the
history through the impressive stuccos, craftwork and Buddha
images which the characters and techniques are influenced from
Lanka, Sukhothai and Ayutthaya arts.
Travelling to Chiang
Saen
By car: Chiang Saen is 30 kilometers from Mae Chan
District and you can travel through the Highway No. 1016.
Otherwise if you travel from the municipality, take the Highway
No. 100 then take a right into the Highway No. 1016 and drive
for 30 kilometers.
Rental car: The most convenient way is
to rent a car in the municipality then drive to Chiang Saen but
you can also opt for the motorbike as it would be easier riding
due to the condition of the roads.
Bus: You can hop on
the buses from Chiang Rai anywhere and it costs only B20 for
one-way trip. The travelling time is unpredictable depending on
the traffic and the stops the buses make, which could be from 45
minutes to two hours. For those who travel from Chiang Mai needs
to ask for the buses that drive through the ‘new route’ (Sai
Mai) with the less stops and it will take about 4-5 hours while
the old route would take more than 9 hours. |
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Chiang Rai |
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District |
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Chiang Saen |
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City |
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Wiang |
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N/A |
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Entry fee |
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Free |
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GPS : |
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20.27902 N |
100.07892 E |
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