City Pillar Shrines of Thailand

City Pillar, or lak muang, is a religious pillar that is usually located at or near the center of the city or town square in Thailand. It can be found in most Thai cities, which were populated by the Tai communities (the community from which the name Thai is somewhat derived). The city pillar is regarded as the abode of the guardian spirit of the city. I have also described the City Pillar Shrine of Bangkok.

There could be several types of city pillars. There are city pillars surrounded by four post, a design that can be seen in Yunnan, China. In Lampang, one can find city pillars in group of three, standing 2.5 to 4 meters tall. Then there are city pillars in the from of linga, or phallus symbol, an influence from the Khmers, who were practising Hindus worshipping Shiva. In Nan, the City Pillar has faces carved on it, and is known as Mukhalinga.

Traditionally, the City Pillar is of the same height as the founder of the city. Its diameter is about 5, 7 or 9 times the size of his fist.

Located close to the City Pillar is the ruler's palace, the principal wat of the city, or a reservoir. The main road that passes through the city usually bisects the town, often passing close to the City Pillar.

City Pillar Shrines of Thailand

Other documented City Pillar Shrines in Thailand

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Dear visitor, thank you so much for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye and my hobby is to find out about places, write about them and share the information with you on this website. I have been writing this site since 5 January 2003. Originally (from 2003 until 2009, the site was called AsiaExplorers. I changed the name to Penang Travel Tips in 2009, even though I describe more than just Penang but everywhere I go (I often need to tell people that "Penang Travel Tips" is not just information about Penang, but information written in Penang), especially places in Malaysia and Singapore, and in all the years since 2003, I have described over 20,000 places.

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