About Chiang Mai Orchid
The city of Nophaburi Sri Ping Chiang Mai was auspiciously founded by King Mengrai in the early hours of April 12, 1296 ad. Chiang Mai was intended to be the great new capital of the thriving Lanna Kingdom and indeed it was to become one of the most important cities in the region.
The square laid out was 1800m x 2000m, and in time a moat would be added to mark out the boundaries of Chiang Mai and safeguard the people within. At each corner a statue, each with cosmological signicance, was built, while the four main gates located on each of the anks faced towards the four points of the compass. Today these landmarks remain to form an overwhelmingly unique character of Chiang Mai for which this historical city is famed for.
In those early days of Chiang Mai the Ping river, to the east of the original settlement, was the primary focus of the valley and brought traders from China and beyond as well as providing water for the agriculture that has long been a mainstay of the local economy. Today visitors to Chiang Mai come from all over the world, not as traders but tourists who admire the incredible history, and relax among the beautiful nature and enjoy the famous Thai hospitality.
Nipa Chaiboonya
“Historically the culture of northern Thailand goes back to the seventh century when the Monks, and ethnic group who had already established important city-states in the Central plain region, founded a kingdom called Haripunchai in the valley of the Ping River. Located on the site of present day Lamphun, this was an important religious center whose artistic inuence continued long after its power wanted. The Thai began arriving later exactly when is a matter of scholarly disput – and became predominately in the mid- thirteenth century, when one of them, King Mengrai embarked on an ambitious campaign to unite the whole of the northern region under his rule.”
Chiang Mai was the heart of Lanna, as the kingdom was known, and during its golden age around the middle of the fteenth century it was celebrated for Buddhist scholarship, its splendid temples and the skills of the superb artisans’.
“A Thai meal offers a combination of avours: sweet, hot, sour, salty and bitter. Diners at the table serve themselves only one or two mouthfuls of a dish at a time, allowing everyone to share the same dishes.”
– Thailand the Beautiful Cookbook