Wat Kukut, Lamphun Province, Thailand

4Raymond W 5:00 PM Jan 22, 2012

A Kingdom Called Haripunchai
Haripunchai is hardly a household name, but it was the name of a small kingdom which had its capital in the present day town of Lamphun. Although Lamphun is only 26 kilometres down the road from the modern Thai city of Chiang Mai, Haripunchai was not a Thai kingdom, but rather a centre for the Mon, an ethnic group who lived in modern Thailand before the Thais. It isn't that hard to find examples of Mon art, especially stone sculpture. All you have to do is have a look in the museums in Bangkok, Lopburi or Lamphun. But Mon architecture is extremely rare, with very few instances surviving in the whole of Thailand. That makes Wat Kukut a must-see sight for those on the tracks of this mysterious people. The actual temple at Wat Kukut is an utterly unremarkable building of recent origin. The reason to come here is the two stone chedis in the grounds of it. These both date back to the 13th century. The taller of the two chedis dates to 1218 and was modeled after a beautiful structure in the north of Sri Lanka. The funerary chedi of Chama Thevi, one of the queens of Haripunchai, it has five stories, with 60 standing Buddhas depicted in niches around the sides. The smaller one has also retained its Mon style; it features more Buddhas and demons. The chedis are highly photogenic.

4Pauline J 5:00 PM Feb 27, 2013

amazing heritage site
just a few minutes from downtown lampoon, the narrow local road, lead to this Wat Chammataewee (AKA Kukut). The temple is small and has historical value since was known one of the oldest temple in Lamphun. Like that it not so touristy. We spend half an hour there and learn about the city history.