Lao Chakkaraj

Pu Chao Lao Chok (Thai: ปู่เจ้าลาวจก), Lao Chakkaraj (Thai: ลาวจักกราช), or Lavachakkaraj (Thai: ลวจักกราช), also spelt Lawachakkarat, is regarded as the progenitor of the royal lineage of Mangrai.^[1] He is considered the first monarch of the Lao dynasty and appears in several traditional chronicles, such as the Chiang Mai Chronicle, Phayao Chronicle, Ngoenyang Chiang Saen Chronicle, and Yonok Chronicle.

Pu Chao Lao Chok was a leader of the Lua tribe, whose original settlement was located at Doi Tung. According to legend, “The tribal leader of the Lua was known as Pu Chao Lao Chok, or Lao Chakkaraj, who originated in the area of Doi Tung or Doi Ket Bunphot around 430 BE (circa 113 CE).” The Lua kings of this lineage continued their succession until the reign of Mangrai, the 25th monarch descended from him, who later unified many city-states into the Lan Na Kingdom.^[2]

The Chiang Mai Chronicle recounts that when King Anuruddha of Pagan convened the monarchs of neighboring cities to establish a new era, the rulers along the Kok River had no king. Thus, Indra sent the celestial being Lao Chok Devaputra down to earth via a “silver ladder” from Mount Yugundhara, descending to the Doi Tung area beneath a Jujube tree. Standing on a silver platform below the tree, the deity transformed into a human form. The local people then proclaimed him the first monarch. Another version identifies him as the leader of a Tai tribe that migrated from the “Chok” region (southern China). The name “Pu Chao Lao Chok” is interpreted as “the one with many hoes” (chok meaning Hoe), referring to his practice of lending tools to villagers for farming.

In legends associated with Doi Tung, Pu Chao Lao Chok is said to have had deep faith in Buddhism. When the Buddha journeyed through the Doi Din Daeng or Doi Tung area, Lao Chok offered alms to him.^[3]

Later, he sent his sons to rule over various cities, including Chiang Khong, Yong, Chiang Lao, and Ngoenyang (Hiran Ngoenyang or Chiang Saen), which later became the birthplace of Mangrai.^[4]

The “Three Peaks” or “Doi Sam Sao” mountains consist of three main sites: Doi Tha, a trading passage between the Lao Chok community and the plains around Doi Tung; Doi Ya Thao, where the wife of Pu Chao Lao Chok resided; and Doi Din Daeng, the residence of Lao Chok himself, later known as Doi Tung.^[5] In later times, Doi Sam Sao came to be known as Doi Nang Non (“Mountain of the Reclining Lady”).