The Khuang Singh Monument or Lion Terrace Monument was built by Chao (Prince) Kawila in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. King Mengrai founded the city of Chiang Mai (meaning 'new city') in 1296, and it succeeded Chiang Rai as capital of the Lanna kingdom. Chiang Mai sometimes written as 'Chiengmai' or 'Chiangmai', is the largest and most culturally significant city in northern Thailand.