Chiang Mai (Northern Thailand) Tourist Guide


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Off to See Some Mural Paintings in Lampang

Text & Photos: Tachyon

One afternoon, Chiang Mai Tourist Guide was invited to take part in a trip to Wat Bankor in Amphur Wang-nue, Lampang. The trip was led by the famous Ajarn Vithi Panichpant of the Department of Thai Art, Faculty of Fine Arts, Chiang Mai University.

We didn't use the usual Chiang Mai-Lampang Superhighway, but chose to go on Highway 108, which runs from Chiang Mai to Doi Saket District and Chiang Rai province.

This Highway 108 presents a far greater number of natural attractions for tourists than the Super, especially at this time of year (October - November).

History lovers know that Wangnue district was originally called "Wiang Wang", meaning the City by the (River) Wang, and that human habitation of the region dates back to 43 B.C.

Wat Bankor

I remember when I was a kid in Tak province, how proud I was of the Ping River. We thought this was the cleanest, clearest river in the whole coumntry. However, sometimes after heavy rain, I saw red torrents flowing through the Ping, and my parents told me they came from the Wang River.

The van we were in took the easy curves of the road up through the intervening hills, and then down again to the plain and we reached Wiangkalong Village in Wiengpapao District. This village is famous for its ceramics industry. If you have some time, it's a good place to stop and have a look at their ancient-style pottery, which makes a nice present - big or small - that is obligatory for bringing back to friends and family after a trip like this.

After about a hundred kilometers of this amiable road we arrived at Wangsaikam village where Wat Bankor is located. Most of the buildings in this village are still wooden structures, made mostly of teak. This is true too of the temple, which has wooden pillars and roof, though its walls are bricks and cement.

Wat Bankor was built in 1899. Not long after the temple was finished, an artistic monk from another district came and found old parchments here relating to the Ramayana, and other stories from the Jataka. These stories inspired him to depict beautiful murals - partly relating the stories he'd found, but also drawing on the traditions and personages he found using the temple.

For some time after he had created these murals, the monks of the temple and the local people did their best to preserve them. However, the paintwork on the cement started to peel away as time went by, and the people from the Faculty of Fine Arts who came to view then agreed they needed restoration.

It was said that although the paintings were not very accomplished, their cultural value was very high, as they were the work of a local Lanna salah, or artisan, and his assistants.

To appreciate this point, you need to understand that the Lanna Kingdom was annexed by the Siamese less than two centuries ago. At the time of Siamese governance, the arts were all centralized. Instead of local artists, temples were normally built by central Siamese skilled labors imitating the artistic skills of Lanna craftsmen. The result is that genuine Lanna murals are rare and therefore valuable. Although the stories depicted in the murals were the same as in temples in other parts of the country, and the skills possibly inferior, the paintings here reflect a very true Lanna tradition with scenes from Lanna life such as the kantoke dinner, the old style Yi Peng festival, and traditional costumes.

Ajarn Vithi

Moreover, these paintings provide much historical evidence for some traditions that are now long-lost or abandoned in most urbanised parts of the North. When the academic team that came up to visit this temple confirmed the value of the murals, the US Embassy agreed to provide the funds for their restoration, and we were able to see the restorers at work on this trip. The process of restoration is expected to take about 18 months to finish, most of the team of artists made up of art students and teachers from Naresuan University, in cooperation with the team of professors and students from Chiang Mai.

If you are looking for some real local artistic stuff, you might stop by to see them at work at the temple. It takes just barely two hours to get there. Just go straight on Highway 108 and turn right when you get to the Wangsaikam village. You can find it easily if you're not lured away by the natural attractions or the chance to do some shopping on the way, for the place is well-signed.