Wat Phra Yuen, located 1 km. east across the bridge over the Kuang River in front of Wat Phrathat Haripunchai, is one of oldest temples in Northern Thailand. Lamphun (formerly Haripunchai) is amongst the oldest cities in Thailand and predates Chiang Mai by several centuries. Northern Thai chronicles suggest that Lamphun was founded by Buddhist monks in 661 AD, but the actual date may have been as late as the mid-ninth century. The chronicles tell how some Buddhist monks wished to establish a city and invited Queen Chamadevi from Lopburi to be the first ruler.