Thailand - Planning (Chapter)

BANGKOK

AROUND BANGKOK

BANGKOK

SIGHTS

BANGKOK

NAKHON PATHOM

from Amphawa) to Bangkok’s Victory Monument
(70B, one hour, from 5.30am to 8pm) in Rat-
chathewi. Alternatively, you can fl ag down one of
several buses to/from Damnoen Saduak that ply
the highway near Amphawa, terminating at Bang-
kok’s Southern bus terminal (80B, one hour).

Nakhon Pathom นครปฐม
POP 120,000
Nakhon Pathom is a typical central Thai
city, with the Phra Pathom Chedi as a vis-
ible link to its claim as the country’s oldest
settlement. The town’s name, which derives
from the Pali ‘Nagara Pathama’ meaning
‘First City’, appears to lend some legitimacy
to this boast.
The modern town is quite sleepy, but it
is an easy destination to see everyday Thai
ways and practise your newly acquired lan-
guage skills on a community genuinely ap-
preciative of such eff orts.

 1 Sights
Phra Pathom Chedi BUDDHIST TEMPLE
(พระปฐมเจดยี์; admission free) In the centre of
town, rising to 127m, is one of the tallest Bud-
dhist monuments in the world. The original
stupa, which is buried within the massive
orange-glazed dome, was erected in the early
6th century by the Theravada Buddhists of
Dvaravati (possibly at the same time as My-
anmar’s famous Shwedagon stupa). But, in
the early 11th century the Khmer king, Suri-
yavarman I of Angkor, conquered the city
and built a Brahman prang (Hindi/Khmer-
style stupa) over the sanctuary. The Burmese
of Bagan, under King Anawrahta, sacked the
city in 1057 and the prang lay in ruins until
Rama IV (King Mongkut) had it restored in

1860. The temple is best visited on weekends
      when local families come to make merit.
      On the eastern side of the monument, in
      the bòht, is a Dvaravati-style Buddha seat-
      ed in a European pose similar to the one in
      Wat Phra Meru in Ayuthaya. It may, in fact,
      have come from there.
      Also of interest are the many examples
      of Chinese sculpture carved from a green-
      ish stone that came to Thailand as ballast
      in the bottom of 19th-century Chinese junks.
      Opposite the bòht is a museum (admission by
      donation; h9am-4pm Wed-Sun), with some in-
      teresting Dvaravati sculpture and lots of old
      junk. Within the chedi complex is Lablae
      Cave, an artifi cial tunnel containing the
      shrine of several Buddha fi gures.

The wát surrounding the stupa enjoys

the kingdom’s highest temple rank, Rach-

avoramahavihan; it’s one of only six tem-

ples so honoured in Thailand. King Rama

VI’s ashes are interred in the base of the

Sukhothai-era Phra Ruang Rochanarit, a

large standing Buddha image in the wát’s

northern wí·hăhn.

Phutthamonthon BUDDHIST TEMPLE

(พุทธมณฑล) Southeast of the city stands this

Sukhothai-style standing Buddha designed

by Corrado Feroci. At 15.8m, it is reportedly

the world’s tallest, and it’s surrounded by a

400-hectare landscaped park that contains

sculptures representing the major stages

in the Buddha’s life (eg a 6m-high dharma

wheel, carved from a single slab of granite).

All Bangkok–Nakhon Pathom buses pass

by the access road to the park at Phra Phut-

thamonthon Sai 4; from there you can walk,

hitch or fl ag down a sŏrng·tăa·ou into the

park itself. From Nakhon Pathom you can

also take a white-and-purple Salaya bus; the

stop is on Th Tesa across from the post offi ce.

Don Wai Market MARKET

(ตลาดดอนหวาย) On the banks of Mae Nam

Nakhon Chaisi, is another worthwhile des-

tination. See p 154 for details on getting here.

 5 Eating

Nakhon Pathom has an excellent market

along the road between the train station and

Phra Pathom Chedi; its kôw lăhm (sticky

rice and coconut steamed in a length of

bamboo) is reputed to be the best in Thai-

land. There are many good, inexpensive food

vendors and restaurants in this area.

8 Getting There & Away

Nakhon Pathom is 64km west of Bangkok. The

city doesn’t have a central bus station, but most

transport arrives and departs from near the

market and train station.

The most convenient and fastest way to get to

Nakhon Pathom is on a rót đôo (shared minivan)

from Bangkok’s Victory Monument (60B; Map

p 97 ). Vans leave when full, generally from 6am

to about 6pm.

There are also more frequent trains from

Bangkok’s Hua Lamphong station in Chinatown

(14B to 60B, one hour) throughout the day.

Nakhon Pathom is also on the spur rail line

that runs from Thonburi’s Bangkok Noi station

(Map p 60 ) to Kanchanaburi’s Nam Tok station,

although because of the route’s status as a

‘tourist line’ the fares are exorbitantly high for

foreigners.