King Mengrai the Great—Chiang Mai, Thailand. - Statues of Historic Figures on Waymarking.com

This gentleman is the founder of the city of Chiang Rai, the location of this statue, and the first King of the Lanna, Thai Kingdom. A successful and well remembered life.

Meng Rai (various spellings of his name abound), was born in the year 1238 in the town of Chiang Saen, on the Mekong River. At that time the Thai states, of what is now northern Thailand, were disunited and under the suzerainty of either Burma or the Cambodian Empire. Seeking to right this wrong, and give the Thai people their day in the sun, under his rule, Meng Rai united, militarily, the Thai states, under his rule.

In 1262 he founded the city of Chiang Rai, and made it his capital. Over the following decades he continued to conquer and liberate, expanding his Kingdom and in the process creating the Lanna Kingdom. In 1296 he founded and made the city of Chiang Mai the capital of this new Kingdom.

The Lanna Kingdom was to continue to exist as an independent state through to the 15th century, with good and bad times. At that stage it came under Burmese rule. Following this it was liberated and became, eventually, part of the modern Kingdom of Thailand. The King himself died in 1317, a long life.


This life-sized statue of the King stands in a large Buddhist temple, Wat Phrasingh, in the centre of the city of Chiang Mai, in northern Thailand, ~150kms to the south of Chiang Rai. The King is depicted wearing civilian clothes, but with his sword in his left hand, and wearing a crown. He stands on a plinth, and adjacent to the plinth is a free standing biographical plaque, in Thai and English in gallery. Further away is a small chedi. This is a burial mound of some antiquity, but no details are present. To the other side is a poster of the King of Thailand, and his mother.

As with most statues in Thailand, this is also a shrine. Locals do come by to pay their respects. Entry to the wat is unrestricted, though, of course, a small donation, say 20 baht, would be appreciated.

URL of the statue: Not listed

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