Inthakhin (; lit. "

Indra Indra (; ) is the Hindu god of weather, considered the king of the Deva (Hinduism), Devas and Svarga in Hinduism. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes Indra is the m ...

's pillar") is the name of the ''

Lak Mueang Lak mueang (, ) are city pillars found in most cities of Thailand. Usually housed in a shrine (, ) which is also believed to house Chao Pho Lak Mueang (, ), the city spirit deity. It was constructed because the continuation of ancient traditio ...

'' (the "city pillar") of

Chiang Mai Chiang Mai, sometimes written as Chiengmai or Chiangmai, is the largest city in northern Thailand, the capital of Chiang Mai province and the List of municipalities in Thailand#Largest cities by urban population, second largest city in Thailan ...

. It is said that the pillar was first erected by King

Mangrai Mangrai (; ; c. 1238–1311) was the 25th king of Ngoenyang (r. 1261–1292) and the first king of Lanna (r. 1292–1311). He established a new city, Chiang Mai, as the capital of the Lanna Kingdom (1296–1558).Wyatt, D. K. Thailand, A Short Hi ...

at the founding of the city on April 12, 1296 CE at Wat Sadue Mueang (lit. "Temple of the Navel of the City"; also known as Wat Inthakhin) on Inthawarorot road. It was brought to its present location inside a shrine on the temple grounds of

Wat Chedi Luang Wat Chedi Luang (, lit. ''temple of the big stupa'' or ''temple of the royal stupa'') is a Buddhist temple in the historic centre of Chiang Mai, Thailand. The current temple grounds were originally made up of three temples — Wat Chedi Luan ...

by the

Lanna The Lan Na kingdom or the Kingdom of Lanna (, , "Kingdom of a Million Rice Fields"; , , ), also known as Lannathai, was an Indianized state centered in present-day Northern Thailand from the 13th to the 18th centuries. The cultural developme ...

king

Kawila Kawila (, , , 31 October 17421816), also known as Phra Boromrachathibodi (; ), was the Northern Thai people, Northern Thai ruler of the Kingdom of Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai Kingdom and the founder of the Chet Ton dynasty, Chetton dynasty. Originating ...

in 1800 CE.

Inthakhin festival

The ''Inthakhin'' or ''Lak Mueang'' Festival in

northern Thailand Northern Thailand, or more specifically Lanna, is a region of Thailand. It is geographically characterized by several mountain ranges, which continue from the Shan Hills in bordering Myanmar to Laos, and the river valleys that cut through them. ...

(also known as ''Sai Khan Dok'' or ''Bucha Sao Inthakhin'' in Thai), starts on the 12th day of the waning moon of the six lunar month and lasts eight days. Centered around Wat Chedi Luang, this is a celebration of Brahmic origin. On the first day, which is called ''Tam Bun Khan Dok'' (lit. "Flower Bowl Blessing"), offerings of flowers, candles and incense are made to the city pillar as well as the many other

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

and

-era icons. Dancing, musical performances, carnival games, and Thai vendor food is present. This is a very large celebration in which the Chiang Mai citizenry participate. In 2012 Inthakhin was on 17–24 May; 2013: 5–12 June; 2014: 25–31 May; 2015: 25–31 May. The veneration of the city pillar was adopted from a ceremony of the

Lawa people Lawa ( or ; ) are an ethnic group in northern Thailand. The Lawa language is related to the Blang language, Blang and the Wa language found in China and Myanmar (Burma), and belongs to the Palaungic languages, a branch of the Austroasiatic languag ...

(the original inhabitants of northern Thailand) by the

Thai Yuan The Northern Thai people or Tai Yuan (, ), self-designation ''khon mu(e)ang'' ( meaning "people of the (cultivated) land" or "people of our community"), are a Tai ethnic group, native to nine provinces in Northern Thailand, principally in t ...

ethnic group who built the city of Chiang Mai upon the foundations of an older Lawa city.

Inthakhin legend

According to the legend on which the festival is based, in the time before Chiang Mai was founded, the Lawa people who then lived there received a pillar from the god

to protect them against disaster. After this original pillar was again removed by order of Indra, the Lawa were then told to place a replica of the pillar in its stead, and, if this pillar continued to be venerated and the people lived virtuous lives, the city would gain prosperity and be protected against harm.

Gallery

File:Chiangmai inthakhin 04.jpg, The city pillar inside its shrine (2004 CE). Entrance to this shrine is prohibited for women. File:City pillar festival 02.jpg, Flowers are placed at the city pillar inside its shrine during the festival (2011 CE) File:2017 0419 Chiang Mai City Pillar Shrine interior.jpg, The present interior of the City Pillar Shrine (2017 CE) File:Wat Chedi Luang during Tam Boon Khan Dok - Inthakin City Pillar Festival.jpg, Wat Chedi Luang lit at night during Tam Bun Khan Dok File:Offerings to Buddha image at Wat Chedi Luang during Tam Boon Khan Dok.jpg, Offerings to a Buddha image at Wat Chedi Luang during Tam Bun Khan Dok File:City pillar festival 01.jpg, Inside the ''wihan'' of Wat Chedi Luang, money offerings are dropped into alms bowls during the festival

References

External links

Inthakhin or Tham Boon Khan Dok – City Pillar Festival, Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai Best
Residents celebrate Inthakhin festival
Chiang Mai Mail Vol. VI No. 13 - Tuesday May 22, - May 28, 2007
The Drama of Inthakhin
Chiangmai.info {{coord missing, Thailand Festivals in Thailand Tourist attractions in Chiang Mai

Inthakhin festival

Inthakhin legend

Gallery

See also

References

External links