The early history of Kengtung is made up of myths and legends. The
oral tradition of the [Tai people] says that the ancient city of Kengtung was founded in the distant past by Tai Lue as the original inhabitants of the region, and was later reestablished by the grandson of King
Mangrai after defeating the Tai Lue. This migration of the
Chiang Mai dynasty in the 13th century, with the founding a new kingdom which was later named
Lanna, has resulted in Kengtung having a different type of Tai population from the rest of the
Shan State, the
Tai Khün. Kengtung, like other major towns in the Shan Plateau, was home to a Shan
Saopha (Sawbwa). Kengtung was the capital of the
Kengtung State. In 1905,
Sao Kawng Kiao Intaleng built the
Kengtung Palace. The city was seized and occupied by the Thai
Phayap Army from 1942 until the end of the
Second World War and became the headquarters of the
Saharat Thai Doem territory. The headquarters of the regional military command of the
Tatmadaw is in the town. ==Geography==