Today, although historically important, Lopburi rarely appears on tourist itineraries. Most visitors to the city are Thais on a day trip from Bangkok to see the historic sights and the fields of sunflowers. There are several trains between Bangkok and Lopburi every day. For the foreign tourist, the easiest way to get to Lopburi is by train. The main sights of the historic city are a short walk from the train station (see map).
No discussion of Lopburi would be complete without mention of the town's rather sizable monkey population. They have become something of a symbol of the town, and are even feted with their own annual banquet by local tourism businesses, but in truth they're more of a nuisance.
View from near the southeast corner of the compound Bahn Vichien, as it's called in Thai, was built in the time of King Narai to house foreign ambassadors (mainly, the French ambassador) who were the visiting Siam in the late seventeenth century. Construction of the lavish residence was overseen by Constantine Phaulkon, a Greek-born close adviser to Narai, who wanted to impress the French. When the French embassy departed, Phaulkon used the residence as his own.
The Chinese style city pillar shrine Between Bahn Vichien and the river is a small Chinese styled shrine which stands on the place where the old city pillar is thought to have been. Inside the main chapel are three altars. The left one has a Lopburi style Buddha image while the right altar has a more Confucian statue.
The shrine backs up against the ruins of Wat Puen Yai. There's really nothing left of the temple except the crumbling brick walls of the prayer chapel.
Constantine Phaulkon < p>The Greek Constantine Phaulkon is perhaps one of the more interesting characters from Thai history. The early details of his life are somewhat sketchy. He was apparently born on the Venetian held island of Cephalonia, but it's not clear who his parents were. At an early age, he joined a ship and moved to London, where he soon entered into the service of the East India Company.
Lopburi is about 150 kilometers northeast of Bangkok. It is on the main rail line to Northern Thailand and there is a modern four-lane highway connecting Lopburi to Bangkok and other neighboring provinces.
Lopburi by Train Trains leave Bangkok's Hualumpong rail station more or less hourly during the day. The trips, via Ayutthaya, take about two to two and a half hours, depending on the service. Third class fare from Bangkok is 50 Baht and second class air conditioned cars run about 350 Baht.
Lopburi is one of Thailand's oldest occupied cities. Archaeological evidence suggest that the area has been settled since neolithic time. It first rose to become a major kingdom during the sixth century. It was then called Lavo, or sometimes Luovo or Lavapura. The name was supposedly an allusion to the ancient name of Lahore in modern Pakistan, where the settlers of this area may have come from. Legend has it that the daughter of one of the kings of Lavo was sent north to found the city of Lamphun.
Lopburi doesn't have very many hotels that can be booked on-line. All of what it does have are budget class tourist hotels. They may be acceptable for a night, but don't expect anything fancy. What is available is listed below, but do note that these are all located either in the 'new' city or even in the country-side, some distance away from the sights. The best option in the old town area is the Nett (no web site), on a side street between the palace and the railroad station.
Chantra Paisan Pavilion, originally built by King Narai When King Narai, who ruled from 1656 to 1688, decided to establish Lopburi as his 'summer home' he set about restoring many of the city's ancient monuments, and had a large palace complex built near the center of town, on the Lopburi River. By this time, there were a number of Europeans in Siam, and the buildings of Narai's new palace reflect, more than any other buildings of the time, the influence of Italian and French architects who assisted in the construction of the palace.
Lopburi City Map The 'modern' town of Lopburi is a rather large spread out city of more than 25,000 people. However, the historic 'old town' area is a rather compact few blocks between the rail line and the Lopburi River. Since the easiest way to get to Lopburi is by train, the typical visit would start at the ruins of the Phra Sri Rattana Mahathat temple, proceed on to Lopburi Palace, then to Bahn Vichien and finally a visit to the monkeys at Prang Sam Yod.
The Khmer-era ruins of Prang Kaek in Lopburi Sitting on a small island in the middle of traffic is one of Lopburi's oldest Khmer monuments, the eighth century Prang Kaek. Like Prang Sam Yod, Prang Kaek was originally a Hindu temple, that was later re-purposed as a Buddhist shrine. King Narai restored the temple in the seventeenth century, but now it's in ruins. Prang Kaek is the oldest Khmer era ruins in Thailand, making it very important even if its situation doesn't look it.
Overall view of the three towers This massive stone sanctuary was founded as a Hindu sanctuary in the thirteenth century by the Khmer King Jayavarman VII, the ruler who built many of Angkor Wat's most famous temples and palaces. Like most of the temples at Angkor, Prang Sam Yod was originally a Hindu temple, with the three stone towers (prangs) representing the Hindu trinity of Brahma, Visnu and Siva. The Thais later converted the shrine to a Buddhist temple when the neighboring kingdom of Ayutthaya rose to power.
The modern San Phra Kan Shrine, against the ancient base of a Khmer tower. Located in the middle of a traffic circle, oddly placed right next to the railway line, is the San Phra Kan shrine. The shrine is housed in a small modern (built in 1951) temple building erected hard up against the remains of an ancient prang dating from the sixth century.
The main statue in the shrine is a standing figure with four arms.
The ruins of Wat Nakorn Kosa in Lopburi Just on the other side of the parking lot next to the Phra Khan shrine are the ruins of a small temple called Wat Nakorn Kosa. Little more remains than a large mound where a tall prang once stood and a smaller tower that is still in relatively good shape.
The temple probably dates from the Khmer era, but it was almost certainly extensively renovated, and possibly converted from a Hindu to a Buddhist temple, in the Ayutthaya period.
The huge temple directly across the road from the railway station is, according to some, the oldest Buddhist temple in Lopburi. There's actually some controversy about the age of the temple. The 'official' line is that the central tower (prang) dates from the twelfth century, but some have argued that the lines of the tower are more in keeping with later styles of the early Ayutthaya era. As with most Thai temples, Wat Phra Sri Rattana Mahathat was constantly renovated, restored and 'modernized' as the times changed.
The main prayer hall of Wat Sao Thong-Thong Between Bahn Vichien and the palace, along Rue De France, Wat Sao Thong-Thong was originally built in King Narai's time as a church for the Christian envoys visiting Siam at the time. The church was later converted to a temple. The Christian chapel is now the temple's main prayer hall, which retains a few traces of its earlier use. Inside the chapel is a large, rather brutish, Buddha image.
The Thais divide the year into three seasons: the cool season, hot season, and rainy season. For most westerners, this translates to "hot," "really hot," and "really hot and wet." Temperatures rarely drop below 25° C (7° F). See the box at right for current conditions on the central plain. Historical Weather Patterns for Lopburi The rainy season, which coincides with the European and North American summers, is not an entirely bad time to visit.
