Kruba Srivichai was born on Tuesday, June 11, 1878 (Year of the Tiger) in Ban Pang, Mae Tuen Subdistrict, now known as Si Wichai Subdistrict, Li District, Lamphun Province. He was the son of Mr. Khwai and Mrs. Usa and had five siblings. The family’s ancestral home was located in Ban San Pa Yang Luang, north of Lamphun town. On the day Mrs. Usa went into labor, the sun was already sinking and it was nearly six o’clock in the evening. Mr. Khwai, together with relatives and the village midwife, did everything they could to assist with the delivery. At that very moment, the previously bright sky suddenly turned dark. Strong winds swept through the area, heavy rain poured down, and thunder echoed across the sky. Finally, Mrs. Usa gave birth to a baby boy whose first cry was heard. Miraculously, as soon as the child was born, the rain stopped, the storm calmed, and the sky became peaceful once again. Because of this extraordinary event, the family named the child “Int Fuean,” a Lanna word meaning “tremor” or “thunderous vibration.”
At the age of 17, Mr. Fuean entered the monastic path by becoming a novice monk at Ban Pang Temple, where he studied Buddhist teachings and various disciplines under Kruba Khattiya. When Novice Inta Fuean reached the age of 21, he was ordained as a Buddhist monk at Ban Hong Luang Temple in Lamphun Province and received the monastic name “Sirivijayo Bhikkhu,” later becoming widely known as Phra Srivichai.
Phra Srivichai was widely respected for his exemplary conduct and strict observance of the monastic discipline. He abstained from chewing betel nuts, chewing fermented tea leaves (miang), and smoking. From the age of 26, he also stopped eating meat and limited himself to just one meal a day, which usually consisted of boiled vegetables seasoned only with salt and pepper. His strict way of life inspired deep faith among Buddhist devotees, enabling him to unite thousands of followers in constructing the road leading to Doi Suthep in Chiang Mai. Construction began on November 9, 1934, and was completed on April 30, 1935. Besides building the road to Doi Suthep, he also organized the compilation and revision of the Lanna edition of the Tripitaka, as well as constructing and restoring numerous temples. Owing to his unwavering moral discipline, he was honored with the title “Phra Khruba Silatham Chao” (The Venerable Master of Virtue).
In addition to his devotion to Buddhist practice, Phra Srivichai was also deeply interested in sacred mystical knowledge, believing that it could bring prosperity and blessings. It is said that his strong faith in these mystical teachings once led him to consider leaving the monastic life. Following the custom of Lanna men at that time, he also had both sides of his body tattooed with black sacred ink. Later, Kruba Khattiya passed away, and Phra Srivichai took responsibility for organizing his teacher’s funeral rites. As he had the longest monastic seniority among the monks at that time, he was appointed abbot of the temple. He subsequently relocated the temple from its original site to a nearby hill and named it “Wat Sri Don Chai Sai Mun Bun Rueang.”
Kruba Srivichai’s growing reputation led some members of the ecclesiastical administration in Lamphun Province, headed by the Provincial Ecclesiastical Chief, to bring formal charges against him. He was accused of presenting himself as a “holy man” (Phii Bun), claiming supernatural powers, gathering large numbers of followers, and plotting rebellion against the state. As a result, he was detained in Lamphun and later at Wat Si Don Chai in Chiang Mai before being transferred to Bangkok for an official inquiry. Supreme Patriarch Prince Vajirananavarorasa subsequently appointed a committee to investigate the case of Phra Srivichai. The committee consisted of Prince Chinavornsirivat, Phra Yanawaraphon (M.R. Chuen Suchitto), and Phra Dhammatrailokachan (Charoen Yanawaro). After reviewing the case, the committee reported that Phra Srivichai had already admitted and accepted punishment for not cooperating with the civil authorities. As for the remaining accusations concerning claims of supernatural powers, the committee concluded that he was not guilty, since such stories had been spread by the public themselves and that the punishment imposed by the provincial ecclesiastical authorities had been excessive. The committee therefore recommended that Phra Srivichai be allowed to return to his hometown, and Prince Vajirananavarorasa approved the recommendation.
“Kruba Srivichai” passed away on February 21, 1938, at Ban Pang Temple in Li District, Lamphun Province, at the age of 60. His body was enshrined at Ban Pang Temple for one year before being transferred to Wat Chama Thewi in Mueang Lamphun District, Lamphun Province. On March 21, 1946, he was granted a royal cremation ceremony. A great number of devotees attended the ceremony, and even before the funeral pyre had completely burned out, many people rushed to collect his sacred relics. Some even gathered soil from the cremation site to keep as an object of reverence.
Kruba Srivichai’s relics were later divided into seven portions and enshrined at sacred sites throughout the Lanna region, namely: Wat Chama Thewi in Lamphun Province, Wat Suan Dok in Chiang Mai Province, Wat Phra Kaew Don Tao Suchadaram in Lampang Province, Wat Si Khom Kham in Phayao Province, Wat Phra That Cho Hae in Phrae Province, Wat Nam Hu in Mae Hong Son Province, and Ban Pang Temple in Li District, Lamphun Province. Kruba Srivichai remains one of the most revered senior monks in Lanna history. Throughout his monastic life, he strictly observed the precepts, abstained from eating meat, and devoted himself to countless works for the benefit of the Lanna people. In recognition of his virtue and contributions, he was honored with the title “Kruba,” and a monument in his memory was later erected at the entrance to the road leading up Doi Suthep, before reaching Huai Kaew Waterfall.
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