This prosperity continued until a significant change occurred when the Ping River changed its course at a point where it flowed from the north to the west very near to Wiang Kum Kam. However, according to the evidence recovered from the soil layers of Wiang Kum Kam by the Fine Arts Department, it is clear that the destruction and abandonment of Wiang Kum Kam was not initially caused by floods. Rather, it was primarily caused by the upheaval of war, which occurred as Myanmar sought to acquire Chiang Mai and Lanna. Myanmar forcibly relocate the people of Wiang Kum Kam as slave labor. The city was left uninhabited. Gradually, the city was transformed into a forested area. Subsequently, the continuous floods and currents of the Ping River eventually covered the precinct of Wiang Kum Kam with 1-2 meters of sediment.