Lopburi

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This article is about the town Lopburi. For other uses, see Lopburi (disambiguation).

Prang Sam Yot, the Khmer temple in Lopburi

A Crab-Eating Macaque in Lopburi.

Water buffalo, Lopburi, Thailand, 2300 BCE.

Ceramic, Lopburi, Thailand, 2300 BCE.

Lopburi is the capital city of Lopburi Province in Thailand. It is located about 150 km north-east of Bangkok. 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 as Lavo, or Lavapura. Lopburi was under the rising Angkor regime and became one of the most important centers in the Chao Phraya Basin from then on.

After the foundation of Ayutthaya Kingdom in the fifteenth century, Lopburi was a stronghold of Ayutthaya's rulers.It later became a new royal capital during the reign of King Narai the Great of the Ayutthaya kingdom in the middle of the 17th century, The king stayed here for about eight months a year.

Today the city is most famous for the hundreds of Crab-Eating Macaques (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 represent Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva (the Hindu trinity). It was later converted to a Buddhist shrine.