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Dubbed "Monkey City" because of the thousands of
monkeys that are allowed to reside in peace, Lopburi
is the capital city of Lopburi Province. The city
is located 150 km north-east of Bangkok and draws
thousands of tourists each year, who flock to the
city to see the Crab-Eating Macaques as well as the
elegant Khmer temples.
If you are interested in the cheeky monkeys, who
scamper around stealing food from tourists and causing
general mischief, particularly good spots to see them
are around the Khmer temple, Prang Sam Yot, and Sarn
Phra Karn. All these temples are also interesting
in their own right, as are Wat Phra Si Ratana Mahathat
and the former royal palace of Phra Narai Ratchaiwet,
which also houses the Lopburi Museum, a great place
to cool down and learn more about the local history.
The people of Lopburi take good care of the city's
monkeys as they believe them to be descendants of
the monkey lord Hanuman. According to the holy book
the Ramayana, Hanuman was a great hero who rescued
Sita from her imprisonment in Sri Lanka and built
Lopburi as his kingdom.
To the north of Lopburi, the famous and beautiful
Saplangka Wildlife Sanctuary provides the perfect
day trip for nature lovers. Also worth visiting is
the nearby European Palace of Chao Phraya Wichayan,
which has many interesting design and style features
and some beautiful gardens in which to relax for a
while.
Steeped in interesting history, Lopburi is full of
temple ruins, which mainly date from the Ayutthaya
period. Particularly of note are Wat Nakhon Kosa,
Wat San Paolo, Wat Sao Thong and Wat Indra.
A great time to visit Lopburi is during the Monkey
festival at the end of November, when the furry inhabitants
are treated to a huge feast at the expense of their
human neighbours, who take good care of them throughout
the year.
Also look out for the King Narai Festival, which
occurs in the middle of February and lasts for three
days. The festival is marked which displays of local
food and textiles, singing and the much anticipated
traditional lakhon ling drama which, believe it or
not, is performed by monkeys!
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