"Lampang - City of Roosters & Carriages" Top 5 Page for this destination Lampang by Willettsworld

Lampang was once known as Kukutthanakorn, or City of the Roosters. The name was derived from a local legend that describes a visit by the Lord Buddha. Beforehand, the god Phra Indra was worried that the locals would not wake up in time to give him alms, so he created a white rooster to crow at dawn. You'll see statues and emblems of roosters all over the place plus some horse and carriages which are another symbol of the town - the only town in Thailand still using this method of transport. In fact, Lampang, also called "meuang rot ma" in Thai, means "Horse Carriage City".

The main reasons for coming here is to visit the excellent National Elephant Institute, located 33km north-west of the town on the main highway to Chiang Mai, and the wonderful Wat Phra That Lampang Luang which is one of the most spectacular wats in Thailand and was, indeed, one of my favourites. The temple is located about 20km southwest of the town. I came to Lampang from Kamphaeng Phet before heading up the main highway to Chiang Mai. The town itself is a little bland with just a few so-so temples to visit plus the Baan Sao Nak (house of many pillars) which is a massive teak house demonstrating Thai and Burmese influence in its design.