Khun Luang Wilangka

Statue of Khun Luang Wilangka in a shrine at Wat Phra That Doi Kham.

Khun Luang Wilangka (Thai: ขุนหลวงวิลังคะ), also known as Wirangkha or Milangkha, was the 13th king of the Lawa people of Raming Nakhon, an ancient city located in what is now Chiang Mai, Thailand. His story, a blend of myth, romance, and conflict, is deeply intertwined with the founding of the Mon kingdom of Hariphunchai and its celebrated first ruler, Queen Camadevi. According to some accounts, he organized an army of 80,000 men and launched several unsuccessful military campaigns against Hariphunchai. These conflicts are said to have been triggered by a rejected marriage proposal from Wilangka to Queen Camadevi, the founder of the kingdom.

While historical evidence of his existence remains debated, the legend of Khun Luang Wilangka is a cornerstone of the cultural identity of the Lawa people and a significant tale in the chronicles of the Chiang Mai-Lamphun basin, reflecting the power dynamics between indigenous populations and new settlers in the region over a millennium ago.

Narrative

The most prominent narrative featuring Khun Luang Wilangka is his dramatic encounter with Queen Camadevi in the 7th century. According to the Camadevivamsa (Chronicle of Camadevi) and other local histories, Khun Luang Wilangka was the powerful ruler of the Lawa, an indigenous people who inhabited the region prior to the arrival of the Mon. He resided in a settlement known as Raming Nakhon, believed to be a precursor to the city of Chiang Mai.

Upon hearing of the beauty and wisdom of Queen Camadevi, who had traveled from the Lavo Kingdom (present-day Lopburi) to establish the new kingdom of Hariphunchai (present-day Lamphun), Khun Luang Wilangka fell deeply in love and sent an envoy to request her hand in marriage. Camadevi, a devout Buddhist and a shrewd political leader, perceived the proposal as a threat to her nascent kingdom's sovereignty. She politely refused, but the persistent Lawa king threatened to conquer Hariphunchai by force.

To avoid a direct war, Queen Camadevi proposed a series of challenges. The most famous of these was a contest of strength and skill: a competition to throw a spear from the peak of Doi Suthep, the mountain overlooking the Chiang Mai basin, to the city walls of Hariphunchai. In the first attempt, Khun Luang Wilangka, known for his immense strength, hurled his spear with such force that it nearly reached its target. Fearing his success in a second attempt, Queen Camadevi employed a clever strategy. She presented the king with a hat or a headdress that had been discreetly soiled with her menstrual cloth. According to the beliefs of the time, this would weaken his power. In his second attempt, wearing the queen's gift, Khun Luang Wilangka's strength failed him, and the spear fell short.

In another version of the tale, the challenge was to build a chedi to house a sacred Buddhist relic, with the condition that whoever finished first would win. Queen Camadevi, through clever engineering and deception, made her chedi appear complete overnight, leading to Khun Luang Wilangka's defeat. Heartbroken and humiliated by his failure and the perceived trickery, Khun Luang Wilangka died of a broken heart. One version of the legend states that in his despair, he threw his spear into the air and let it fall upon himself. His final wish was to be buried in a place from where he could forever gaze upon the city of his unrequited love, Hariphunchai.

Legacy and shrine

Today, Khun Luang Wilangka remains a significant figure in the spiritual life of many communities in Northern Thailand. Several shrines and monuments are dedicated to him. One of the most prominent is the Anusawari Khun Luang Wilangka (อนุสาวรีย์ขุนหลวงวิลังคะ) in the Hod District of Chiang Mai Province. Ceremonies are held annually to pay respects to his spirit, attended by people of Lawa descent and others who revere him as a guardian figure.

Various mountain peaks are believed to have been named after musical instruments carried by musicians who became separated from the funeral procession of Khun Luang. These include Doi Khong (Gong Mountain), Doi Klong (Drum Mountain), Doi Ching (Cymbal Mountain), and Doi Sawa. The name Khiu Maeo Plio (literally "Flying Cat Pass") originates from a legend in which the decorative coffin cover—a bamboo frame known as maeo (cat), traditionally placed atop the coffin—was blown away and landed in that area. The peak now known as Mon Jam was once called Doi Khwam Long, meaning "Coffin-Fall Mountain". In this context, long (หล้อง) refers to a coffin, and the name reflects the story of a coffin tumbling down the mountain. It is believed to be the site of the shrine where King Luang Wirangka’s body was buried.

In the village of Ban Mueang Ka, it is believed that the Lawa people there are descendants of Khun Luang Wirangka. Furthermore, the villagers believe that the spirit of Khun Luang resides in three locations: on Doi Khwam Long, at the shrine in Ban Mueang Ka (Mae Rim district), and in the Doi Kham area (Mueang Chiang Mai district), which is located south of Doi Suthep.

Currently, at Doi Kham, there is a temple named Wat Phra That Doi Kham, where a monument to Khun Luang Wirangka is enshrined in the temple courtyard near the chedi. This location, Doi Kham, is also the dwelling place for the spirits of Lawa chiefs named Pu Sae and Ya Sae, who are ancestors of Khun Luang Wirangka. A ritual to "feed the spirits" of Pu Sae and Ya Sae with a water buffalo is held here either annually or once every three years.

Some believe that the abandoned temple named Wat Sri Panton, located in Ban Kad, Mae Wang district, Chiang Mai Province, is the temple where Queen Chamadevi persuaded Khun Luang Wilangka to convert to Buddhism. This temple was built for that purpose. The original name of Wat Sri Panton was formerly known as "Wat Phra Chao Lua" or "Wang Phra Chao Lua" (Palace of the Lua King).