The city has a long history, dating back to the Dvaravati period more than 1000 years ago. It was originally known as Lavo or Lavapura, meaning "city of lava " in reference to the ancient South Asian city of Lavapuri (present day Lahore). Lopburi was under the rising Angkor regime and became one of the most important centers in the Chao Phrya Chao Basin from then on. Lop Buri (Lavo) is described in Book III of Marco Polo’s Travels, where it is called Locach. This came from the Chinese (Cantonese) pronunciation of Lavo, “Lo-huk”
Today the city is most famous for its Khmer temples and ancient Mahayana votive amulets from the khmer period, which have been found in significant quantities.
