Nakhon Si Thammarat

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This article is about the town Nakhon Si Thammarat. For other uses, see Nakhon Si Thammarat (disambiguation).

Nakhon Si Thammarat (Thai นครศรีธรรมราช) is a town in southern Thailand, capital of the Nakhon Si Thammarat Province and the Nakhon Si Thammarat district. The city was the administrative center of southern Thailand during most of its history. Originally a coastal city, silting moved the coastline away from the city. The city has a much larger north to south extension then west to east, which dates back to its original location on a flood-save dune. The modern city centre around the train station is located north of Old Town.

As of 2005, the city has a population of 105,417.

1 History
2 Wat Phra Mahathat Woromaha Vihan
3 City wall
4 Educational Institutions
5 Museums
6 References
7 External links

[edit] History

The town of Nakhon Si Thammarat is one of the oldest towns of southern Thailand. Its origins are not fully known. Most historians recognize the Tambralinga kingdom of Chinese records as a precursor of the modern town Nakhon Si Thammarat. The town chronicles of this time are hardly divisible from legends, but talk of a abandon and refounding of the town, which would explain the break of history between Tambralinga and Nakhon Si Thammarat. At the time of the Sukhothai kingdom, the Nakhon Si Thammarat kingdom was already listed as one of the kingdoms under control of the Thai, which is stayed during most of its history. To the European merchants of the 16th century the town was usually known as Ligor. At the end of the 19th century the kingdom was finally fully absorbed into Siam by converting it into the Monthon Nakhon Si Thammarat. Since the abolishment of the monthon in 1932 the town is now only a provincial capital.

[edit] Wat Phra Mahathat Woromaha Vihan

Chedi Phra Baromathat

Wat Phra Mahathat (Thai วัดพระมหาธาตุวรมหาวิหาร) is the most important temple of Nakhon Si Thammarat and southern Thailand. It was constructed at the time of the founding of the town, and contains a tooth relic of Buddha. The 78 m high chedi is surrounded by 173 smaller ones. While the chedi is now in Sri Lankan style, it is said to be built on top of an earlier Srivijaya style chedi.

At the base of the chedi is a gallery named Viharn Tap Kaset, decorated with many Buddha statues and elephant heads emerging from the chedi. Viharn Phra Song Ma is the buildings which contains the staircase which leads to a walkway around the chedi above the gallery. At the bottom of the staircase are demon giants (yak) as guardians. Adjoining to the north is the Viharn Kien, which contains a small temple museum.

South of the chedi is the large ubosot building, the Viharn Luang. The monk living quarters are located across the street in a separate temple, Wat Na Phra Boromathat.

The chedi is the symbol of the Nakhon Si Thammarat province, present in the seal of the province. It is also displayed on the 25 satang coin.

[edit] City wall

Northern Gate

The city chronicle already mentions a fortification when the town was refounded in 1278. Restorations were recorded at the time of King Ramesuan (14th century), as well as King Narai (1686). The latter one was supported by the French engineer M. de la Mare.

The walls spread 456 m from East to West, and 2238 m North to South, thus enclosing an area of about one square kilometre. The northern wall had only one gate, called Prathu Chai Nua or Prathu Chai Sak, also the southern wall had only one gate. To the east there were three gates, which connected the town with the sea. To the west were five gates. Today only the northern gate still exists, together with a short stretch of the northern city wall.