According to history King Mangrai relocated the capital of the Lanna Kingdom from Chiang Rai to the old city of Wiang Kam on the banks of the Ping River in 1288. Whilst the new riverside location offered many advantages, the area was low-lying and prone to severe seasonal flooding. By 1296, King Mangrai had chosen a new site for his capital on the higher opposite bank of the Ping River and declared the newly constructed city of Chiang Mai as the capital of the Lanna kingdom. Years of flooding thereafter left Wiang Kam buried metres underground.