History
Known as Lavo during much of its history, Lopburi probably dates to prehistoric times. The name Lavo originated in the Dvaravati period (6th to 11th century C.E.). The conquering Khmer would build many impressive temples in the city during its rule. Lopburi may even have liberated itself for a time, as it sent independent embassies to China in 1115 and 1155. In 1289 it sent another embassy to China, but soon became part of the Thai kingdom of Sukhothai and later Ayutthaya.
During the Ayutthaya period, King Ramathibodi I sent Phra Ramesuan (later King Ramesuan) as the Uparaja to reign in Lopburi. In 1665 King Narai the Great ordered a new palace built on the east bank of the Lopburi River and made Lop Buri the second capital of the country, as Ayutthaya was threatened by the Dutch. After King Narai died, the city was almost abandoned and fell into ruin.
In 1856 King Mongkut of the Chakri dynasty ordered King Narai's Palace to be renovated. The city finally regained its importance in 1938, when Field Marshal Plaek Phibunsongkhram chose Lop Buri to be the largest military base in Thailand.
Read more about this topic: Lopburi Province
Famous quotes containing the word history:
“Anything in history or nature that can be described as changing steadily can be seen as heading toward catastrophe.”
—Susan Sontag (b. 1933)
“Every literary critic believes he will outwit history and have the last word.”
—Mason Cooley (b. 1927)
“There has never been in history another such culture as the Western civilization M a culture which has practiced the belief that the physical and social environment of man is subject to rational manipulation and that history is subject to the will and action of man; whereas central to the traditional cultures of the rivals of Western civilization, those of Africa and Asia, is a belief that it is environment that dominates man.”
—Ishmael Reed (b. 1938)