Wat Phrathat Doi Kham or ˉTemple of the Golden Mountˇ, is located in Tambon Mae Hia, about 10km south of Chiang Mai Old City, in the lee of Doi Suthep. Temple records claim that the temple dates back over 1,300 years ˉto 687 CEˇ, during the pre-Lan Na period when the region was inhabited by the indigenous animist Lawa. Chiang Mai (meaning 'new city'), sometimes written as 'Chiengmai' or 'Chiangmai', is the largest and most culturally significant city in northern Thailand. King Mengrai founded the city of Chiang Mai in 1296, and it succeeded Chiang Rai as capital of the Lanna kingdom.