Early life In the early eighteenth century, when the influence of the Burmese
Toungoo dynasty waned,
Lanna exerted its independence but fragmented into several city-states. The ruler of
Lamphun had taken control over the city of Lampang. The inhabitants of Lampang were dissatisfied with the rule of Lamphun and chose an animal hunter named Nan
Thipchang () or simply Thipchang to lead the Lampang forces to successfully expel the Lamphun from the city. Thipchang was declared as the ruler of Lampang in 1732 with the title of Phraya Sulawaluechai (). Kawila was born on 31 October 1742 at
Lampang during the rule of his grandfather Lord Thipchang of Lampang. Kawila was a son of Chaikeaw () all of whom would later become influential figures in subsequent Lanna history. Kawila's younger brothers included Khamsom,
Thammalangka, Duangthip, Moola,
Khamfan and Boonma. His younger sisters were Si-Anocha, Si-Kanya and Si-Boonthan.
Governor of Lampang (1775–1782) in
Lampang, where the ceremony of drinking the sacred water to swear fealty to
King Taksin was performed in January 1775. After the Chiang Mai campaign, King Taksin appointed Phraya Chaban Boonma as
Phraya Wichianprakarn the governor of Chiang Mai under
Thonburi Kingdom. Taksin also returned to Lampang and officially appointed Kawila as the governor of Lampang in 1775. Kawila's younger brother Thammalangka was appointed as
Uparaja or the vice-governor and heir. In January 1777, the Burmese King
Singu Min sent a huge Burmese forces of 15,000 men or 40,000 arrived to rescue Lampang in March 1786. The Burmese were successfully repelled and Lampang was saved. In 1787, Prince of
Phrae and
Mongyawng attacked the Burmese-held Chiang Saen. Thado Mindin the Burmese governor of Chiang Saen fled to
Chiangrai where he was captured and sent to Kawila at Lampang. Chiang Mai was then officially restored as the center of authority in Lanna. Inhabitants of Lampang were also partitioned into the founding population of Chiang Mai. of people from other towns to accumulate manpower. In 1802, King Bodawpaya appointed a Chinese man from
Yunnan Province named Chom Hong In 1814, a failed Mon rebellion in
Martaban against Burma led to migration of ten thousands of
Mon people into Siam through the
Mae Lamao Pass. Some of the Mons sheltered in Chiang Mai. Bangkok court commanded Kawila to bring the Mon refugees from Chiang Mai to Bangkok. Kawila left Chiang Mai in June 1815 but his eldest son Noi Suriyawong fell ill and died at Tak. Kawila reached Bangkok in late June and stayed there where he was given an opportunity to take royal barges on the sea tour of eastern Siamese coastline. Kawila left Bangkok in September 1815 to return to Chiang Mai. Kawila died at Chiang Mai on January 17, 1816 and was succeeded as the ruler of Chiang Mai by his brother
Thammalangka. However, after Kawila, subsequent rulers of Chiang Mai were not appointed as kings but were granted the rank of
Phraya. Only about fifty years later in 1853 that the Bangkok court appointed a King of Chiang Mai. One of Kawila's children,
Kawilorot Suriyawong would later reign as king of Chiang Mai. == Family and Issue ==