It is believed that Wat Chang Kham is the renowned temple ‘Wat Kan-Thom’, which has been repeatedly referred to in the ancient chronicles and oral histories. According to the chronicles, Wat Kan-Thom was built in the reign of King Mhangrai when Wiang Kum Kam still functioned as the capital city of Lanna. He commanded a craftsman called ‘Kan-Thom’ in his Royal Court to import wood from Chiang Saen, another city-state in the Kok river basin, and build a wooden viharn at the so-called Wat Kan-Thom.