- Lopburi
Lopburi is the capital city of
Lopburi Province inThailand . It is located about 150 km north-east ofBangkok . As of 2006 it has a population of 26,500. The town ("thesaban mueang ") covers the whole "tambon " Tha Hin and parts of Thale Chup Son of Mueang Lopburi district, a total area of 6.85 km².The city has a long history, dating back into the
Dvaravati period more than 1000 years ago, when it was known asLavo . When theKhmer empire incorporated it, they destroyed all former buildings, so that the oldest ruins that can now be found in Lopburi are Khmer temples. It later became part of the Thai kingdoms and, during the reign of KingNarai the Great of theAyutthaya kingdom in the middle of the 17th century, Lopburi even served as the second capital, with a second summer palace,King Narai's Palace . The king stayed here for about eight months a year.Today the city is most famous for the hundreds of
Crab-Eating Macaque s ("Macaca fascicularis") that live in the middle of the city, especially around the Khmer temple, Prang Sam Yot, and a Khmer shrine, Sarn Phra Karn. They are fed by the local people, especially during the Monkey Festival in November. Because they are not afraid of humans, they steal whatever food they can find from unwary diners.Prang Sam Yot, originally a
Hindu shrine, has three "prangs" that representBrahma ,Vishnu , andShiva (the Hindu trinity). It was later converted to aBuddhist shrine.External links
* [http://www.lopburimun.com Website of town] Th icon
*wikitravel
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