[citation needed] He sent his vizier, the Phra Palad, to oversee this task, which was to ensure a regular supply of elephants for the larger town.

So many followers immigrated in the steps of the Phra Palad that soon Krabi had a large community in three different boroughs: Pakasai, Khlong Pon, and Pak Lao.

In 1872, King Chulalongkorn elevated these to town status, called Krabi, a word that preserves in its meaning the monkey symbolism of the old standard.

Administrators then reported directly to the central government in Bangkok, and Krabi's history as an entity separate from other provinces had begun.

Ko Lanta National Park, also in Krabi Province, includes several coral-fringed islands with well-known diving sites.

The largest island, Ko Lanta Yai, is the site of park headquarters, and is also home to "Chao Le", or sea gypsies, who sustain themselves largely through fishing.

The beach is famous for its fossilized snail shells, dwellers of the freshwater swamp that covered this area some 40 million years ago.