So there I was, in front of a small wooden building called Kamthieng House. Surrounded by massive skyscrapers in the middle of the megapolis called Bangkok. An oasis of peace encircled by trees and singing birds. A surreal place in the capital of Thailand. How did I land up here? Let me start from the beginning.
The Kamthieng House seems a bit lost amongst all the skyscrapers
Finding Kamthieng House
I had a spare hour in the Sukhumvit area of Bangkok so I decided to check out Google Maps to see whether there is anything to do in this area. The results of my search were the Terminal 21, a huge airport-themed shopping mall we had already visited, as well as some cafes and a place called the Kamthieng House Museum. I did a little research and found out that it is a traditional Lanna home, moved from Chiang Mai to Bangkok in order to display it to the public as a museum.
The house itself is not hard to find. Just exit the Asok BTS station or the Sukhumvit MRT station and walk along the left side of the Asok Montri Rd, facing north. After about 3-4 minutes you’ll see the Kamthieng House on the left side. When you pass Terminal 21, there are some street food stalls which seemed to be quite busy.
What is the Kamthieng House?
Kamthieng House is a Lanna teak house – over 160 years old. The Lanna Kingdom (or “Kingdom of a million rice fields”) covered the northern Thailand area where you find modern-day Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai. It reigned from the 13th to the 18th century before it eventually was invaded by the Thonburi Kingdom in 1775. Even though it was defeated, the unique culture and ethnology of Lanna still exist in the Northern Thailand of today. You can see it within the food, language, religious traditions and clothing.
Mae Saed, great-granddaughter of a Prince of Mueang Chaeat, originally built the Kamthieng House in 1848 at the Ping River in Chiang Mai. The house was given 1963 to the Siam Society. They disassembled it, moved it to Bangkok and opened it in 1966 reassembled as a museum for daily Lanna life. It encapsulates key elements of traditional Lanna culture, architecture and lifestyle.
A strange sculpture on display in the Kamthieng House
The whole exhibition is on two floors: The main floor and the second floor which you can only reach by a short stairway.
Ghostly presence?
Interesting Fact: Legends say, that the spirits of Mae Thao Khamdaeng, Mae Saed and Mae Kamthieng (three ladies and past occupants) are still in the residence. They every now and then appear in their traditional Lan Na Thai attire and protect the residence and its guests from any harm.
Main floor of the Kamthieng House
The ticket vendor pointed to a TV after got my ticket for 100 Thai Baht (about 3 USD). He told me that I should start the visit with the video. The short animated cartoon is about a gecko called Tokto (northern Thai for gecko) and his adventures in a Lanna village. The film gives an overview of the process of building a typical Lanna house. It runs in an endless loop, so just sit down and enjoy.
The “Tung” banner
The “Tung” banner symbolises passage and is normally used to ensure a safe passage in the next life.
Next to the TV you can find this “Tu Phra Tham”. It’s a scripture chest to keep sacred Buddhist texts.
The “Sao Sakang” village pillar was used to worship the guardian spirit of the town.
After the video, you can freely roam around all the relics on the ground floor. There was no guide there when I visited the Kamthieng House, but there are information sheets in Thai and English in front of all the exhibits. It’s very interesting to read about the daily life and culture of the Lanna.
Lanna Village and Kalae
As there are rarely a lot of people in this open-air museum, you never feel like you need to rush through as well. My personal highlights on the ground floor were definitely the miniature version of a Lanna village and the hand-carved “Kalae”. The “Kalae” is a crossed gable finial whose function is not completely clear. It is generally agreed though, that the “Kalae” is used to designate living spaces inhabited by humans.
The miniature of a typical Lanna village (ban). They are usually built around a temple.
An interesting sculpture on display, unfortunately without any description
Did you know that the yellow-brown hues of the monk’s robes were originally made from jackfruit?
The details of this Kalae are rather stunning.
Second floor of the Kamthieng House
The second floor was for me personally even more interesting to visit. It took me longer as well to go through all the rooms and marvel at the different exhibits. You’ll find the kitchen, the living room, the veranda and the granary.
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The Granary of the Kamthieng house
The granary, built in front of the house, represents family wealth for the Lanna. Young men who travelled to court eligible young women would often choose to stop at houses with a big granary. It was a signifier that the owners were rich. Traditionally the granary was not connected to the main house and you would need a ladder to enter it. Don’t worry though, here at the exhibition you can simply use a little bridge.
The Lanna believed that the “Naga”, a semidivine being in form of a snake, has the power to control the rain.
“Talaeo”
Vertically attached to sticks, the “Talaeo” are ritually put in place as a gesture of respect that stakes a claim of benevolence from the paddy field spirits.
This little statue symbolises the Rice Goddess.
Other rooms on the second floor
In the kitchen, you can read about the various spirits who protected it. There is, for example, a spirit of the hearth which protects the cooking pots and utensils in the kitchen.
A traditional Lanna kitchen.
On the veranda is the place where the daughter of the Lanna households received every evening male suitors while she spun her yarn. This practice was called “yu nok”, which translated means “staying outside”.
Courtship etiquette was very strict. Physical contact was not allowed and punishment was often severe!
“Baisri”
Lanna culture believes in the existence of 32 “Khwan” (vital spirits) that govern the 32 major elements of a humans well-being. The “Baisri”, made of banana leaves, is made for regaining them in case they were scared away.
The “Ham Yon” is a carved wooden plaque above the bedroom door. It is a protective talisman and divides the private family area from the public area.
The Lanna Lounge
The living room was my personal highlight of my visit! You can find there all kind of spiritual talismans and protective gear. I loved the cloth talismans with their beautiful and intriguing paintings. The white cloth talisman were made to invoke the natural and supernatural forces of prosperity and attraction. The red ones tended to be a protection against dangers and obstacles. It was quite hot in this room, so I was very glad I had some water with me.
Lanna men mostly had tattoos. The upper body would have magical spells, geometrical diagrams and animal symbols to protect against obstacles and evil forces. The tattoos from the waist downwards were mostly for generating attraction.
A white cloth talisman
A red cloth talisman
Lanna men wore the “Seua Yan” protective shirts when they traveled.
Lanna swords, inherited from father to son, represented the power and dignity of the male householder.
Closing words on the Kamthieng House
While the Kamthieng House experience is probably not the biggest highlight of our travels so far, it made for an excellent activity for 45-60 minutes in Bangkok. It’s fascinating to learn a bit more about the life of the Lanna. With all the exhibits you can also imagine the Lanna life better than when you just read about it in a book. I also loved the fact that I had the whole museum for myself. This place seems not very well known.
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Should you go and visit it? If you’re in the area and have an hour to spare, then I can absolutely recommend it. Costing only 100 Thai Baht it’s not expensive and it gives a perfect contrast to the otherwise ultra-busy city. It is definitely one of the worthwhile and cheap things to do in Bangkok!
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24 comments
Wow! This place looks fascinating. I love the interior of it and all of the displays, some of the items are so intricate. Great post and, as always, great photos!
Thank you so much! It was great to see this beautiful place and I really enjoyed it there 🙂 Thank you very much for the compliment 🙂
Have a fantastic day
Wow! This place seems surreal, Tom! Exceptional post and a very inspiring one! How long does it take to explore it?
Hi Agness, thank you very much for your comment. This place was really interesting and it takes between 30 and 60 minutes to explore it.
Have a fantastic day
Wow, we have been to Bangkok 4 times now, and never heard of this place…. but it totally looks like a little oasis in a concrete jungle (and jungle that i love BTW). Thanks for sharing this hidden jem….added it to the list for our next visit!
Hi Mike, thank you for your comment. I think I could live in Bangkok for years and would still be able to discover something new every day 😀 I hope you can visit this hidden gem on your next trip to this great city.
Have a fantastic day
I wish I’d known about this when I was in Bangkok! I definitely would have stopped in, I love going to places that really let you visualize the past. It also sounds like a great way to temporarily escape the chaos that is Bangkok! lol
Hi Vicky, thank you very much for your comment. The Kamthieng house is really a cool place and maybe you can see it if you go back to Bangkok 😀 It really is a nice place to escape the busy streets.
Have a fantastic day
A ghost house! Wow! I have been to Bangkok but never heard of this. I loved the story behind and the Lanna culture. Must visit next time . Thanks.
Hi Nisha, thank you for your comment. I only discovered it by chance too, but I was really glad I did.
Have a great day
Kamthieng sounds so full of culture and history! I love the mysticism around it too with believing that the spirits are still in the house and the magic surrounding their tattoos. What a great quick stopover!
Hi Kate, thank you for stopping by. I really loved the mystical stuff as well. The tattoos were so great!
Have a great day
I always thought Bangkok was such a busy city, but I had no idea there was something as peaceful as this. I’d love to visit Kamthieng House and relax from the bustle of the city. That’s interesting how most of the men had tattoos and why.
Hi Marissa, Bangkok is a very busy city, but especially because of that, one can appreciate the little and peaceful things even more 🙂 Thank you for your comment.
Have a great day
I love little “hidden gems” like these. It always amazes me how various Asian countries manage to pull this off. You could be in the middle of a large metropolis, and then all of the sudden, you step into a place like the Kamthieng House, and all of the sudden, the city just seems to fade away!
Hi Kiyoko, thank you for your comment. That’s one of the things I really love about Bangkok. It’s so diverse!
Have a great day
Thank you for sharing this Tom! We’ve never been to Thailand, but would love to go there one day. People tell us that we should spend at least 2 days in Bangkok because it’s an impressive city after all. Many people we know go there for shopping. But since shopping is not too much our thing, it’s good to know that there are other things to do, such as visiting 19th century houses/museums like the Kamthieng House in Bangkok (even if it’s not at its original location). As an archaeologist, I love visiting “old” houses to see how locals used to live, especially in Asia since I didn’t study about Asian history. In Vietnam and China we visited a few of those old houses, and they are now the best memories of our trips. The most interesting thing I find here is the Talaeo: it’s nothing like we’ve ever seen or heard of in the other surrounding Asian cultures. It almost looks Jewish because of the stars… The paintings on the cloth talismans are quite intriguing too. I’d love to analyze them in detail to learn more about their meaning. If you know more hidden gems like the Kamthien House in Bangkok, please share! 🙂
Hi Mei, thank you very much for your nice comment! A lot of people don’t really like Bangkok, but we think it’s an amazing place. Just skip Khao San Road 🙂 You’re right, there are a lot of shopping options (like in every Megapolis), but there are so many hidden gems as well. I bet you would love the Kamthieng House, it really has a lot of character. The Taleo is great and you can even see different ones. You seem tho have a great knowledge about history, I bet it’s amazing to go to see such places with you 🙂 Of course we’ll share the cool findings 🙂 Thank you again for your comment.
Have a fantastic day
I love finding hidden gems like this in huge cities. What a great surprise among the skyscrapers of Bangkok. I love this glimpse into the traditional world of Chiang Mai.
Hi Brianna, we’re glad you liked the article. It was a great surprise for me as well to see this amazing scenery. Thank you for your visit.
Have a great day
On of the things I enjoyed most about Chang Mai was the introduction to all of the different cultures and tribes that live in the area. Northern Thailand is distinctly different from Bangkok and the lands further south. If you aren’t able to make it north of Bangkok, stopping at the Kamthieng House might introduce you to a side of Thailand you never would have known about. Regardless, it’s pretty dang cool to see an ancient house dwarfed by city skyscrapers.
Hi Jenn and Ed, thank you so much for your comment. We would love to go to Chang Mai and see it with our own eyes, probably we will even go later this year. It is really cool to see a part of it in the huge city of Bangkok.
Have a fantastic day
What a beautiful place. I love seeing all the amazing details and learning more about the culture. It would be great to experience this in person.
Hi Lois, thank you for your comment. I hope you’ll be able to one day see it in person.
Have a great day