Kruba Srivichai (Thai: ครูบาศรีวิชัย) is the most revered saint of the Lanna region of northern Thailand, honoured as the "Patron Saint of Lanna" and, for the countless temples, roads and bridges he built and restored over his lifetime, as the "engineer monk". His virtue and resolve are remembered by the people of the north to this day.
Origins and Ordination
Kruba Srivichai was born in 1878 (B.E. 2421) in Ban Pang village, Li District, Lamphun Province. Legend holds that a great thunderstorm raged on the day of his birth, and so he was given the childhood name "In Fuen", meaning "quake". Born into a poor family, he was ordained as a monk in 1899, later becoming abbot of Wat Ban Pang, and in 1904 oversaw the building of a new temple — the beginning of a lifetime devoted to the Dhamma and to the building and restoration of temples.
The Engineer Monk
Over the decades Kruba Srivichai initiated and directed the restoration and construction of more than a hundred temple, road and bridge projects across northern Thailand. Through his lofty virtue he moved countless devotees to volunteer their labour; the most legendary of these works is the mountain road to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep in Chiang Mai — some eleven and a half kilometres long, begun in 1934 and completed by volunteers in only about six months, without a single baht of government funds, an enduring legend in the religious history of Lanna.
Forbearance and Renown
Kruba Srivichai kept the precepts strictly and bore his austerities with fortitude; even amid misunderstanding and setbacks he never wavered from his resolve to uphold Buddhism and benefit his homeland, winning the love of monks and laity alike across the north. In 1939 (B.E. 2482) he passed away peacefully at his home temple of Wat Ban Pang at about the age of sixty-one. A memorial shrine now stands at the foot of Doi Suthep in Chiang Mai, where devotees pay homage throughout the year.
Sacred Objects and Meaning
The sacred objects of Kruba Srivichai signify forbearance, the upholding of the faith and the accomplishment of great vows, symbolising the achievement of extraordinary works through steadfastness and good intention, and are treasured by devotees of the north and by amulet collectors. They are honoured with a righteous heart, in emulation of his resolve and through the diligent doing of good.
