Uthai Thani Attractions and Travel Guide

Attractions

Wat Thammakhosok

Wat Thammakhosok or called “Wat Rong Kho” by villagers was built in the early Rattanakosin period. It is on Si Uthai Road, Tambon Uthai Mai in the municipality. It was used to hold rites by Uthai Thani government officials to pledge allegiance to the king as well as an execution site. The most interesting places in the temple are the chapel and the main Buddha image hall. The chapel is of the Rattanakosin period. A tiled roof covers the building. The Buddha image here is highly sacred. There are beautiful murals inside, the works of late Ayutthaya artists. The main hall is a larger building that is higher than the chapel. A pedestal inside has around 20 Buddha images on it. The outer windowpanes have plaster drawings of the epic Ramayana as frames. The doors have wooden floral patterns painted in bright red.

Tham Hup Pa Tat 
 
Hup Pa Tat is a large valley with an area of about 48,000 square metres. The mountain range surrounding the valley is a limestone range. Part of it is Khao Huai Sok that connects with Khao Pla Ra, about 1 kilometre away. The way up to the cave is a margosa forest. Upon reaching the cave mouth you will see a dark cave. After a walk of around 100 metres, you will emerge from darkness and see the way down to the valley. Looking around you will see a limestone mountain surrounded by high cliffs. This enables sunlight to reach the ground only at midday. Therefore, the valley has higher humidity than other parts and this contributes to a wealth of flora. The thick jungle features gigantic shrubs of the genus Excoecaria that are similar to prehistoric trees.

Khuean Thap Salao 

Khuean Thap Salao is located in Mu 6, Tambon Rabam. From Amphoe Lan Sak, take Highway 3438 for about 15 km. At Km. 47, turn into the intersection leading to Khuean Thap Salao for about 2 km. to the sight-seeing point. If coming from the city, the entrance is on the left. 

Khuean Thap Salao is a large irrigation dam, obstructing Thap Salao Stream to create a reservoir with an attractive view, with an undulated mountain range as a background. In the south of the dam, there are deciduous dipterocarp forest and planted forest garden. Local people often come on weekends for recreation. There is a welfare shop provided.

Huai Rabam Forest Garden

Huai Rabam Forest Garden is located in Tambon Rabam, 78 km. from the provincial town, with an area of 11,740 rai (18,784,000 square metres). This reforestation is under responsibility of the Thai Plywood Company Limited. There are also teak, eucalyptus, and casuarinas junghuniana Miq. forests. Visit the plot of newly planted forest. A reception house with a capacity of about 30 persons is available for staying overnight but visitors have to bring their own food. In the dry season, there is a shortage of water. In the rainy season, it is difficult to enter to the forest garden. For further details, please contact the Thai Plywood Co., Ltd. at Tel. 0 5651 1094 or Provincial Forestry Office at Tel. 0 5631 1009. 

Tham Khao Khong Chai 

Tham Khao Khong Chai is a mountain in Tambon Lan Sak, with a height of 353 metres. In front of Khao Khong Chai, there is a shallow, spacious cave in a form of a large tunnel. It is believed that this cave used to be a habitat of pre-historical humans because they found stone tools and shards of pottery. A flock of bats live in the cave and fly out in the evening to find food. If climbing up the high cliff, it is possible to find the caves above, such as Tham Thong Chai, Tham Maha Sombat, Tham Pet, and Tham Lom. Nearby, another mountain with beautiful caves is located. The large land in the middle of the valley covers an area of a temple and Lan Sak Witthaya School. To get there, take Highway 333 from the city, passing Amphoe Nong Chang. Then, take Highway 3438, Nong Chang – Lan Sak route. About 2 km. before getting to Amphoe Lan Sak, turn left into Lan Sak Witthaya School. Drive on for about 500 metres until arriving at Khao Khong Chai, which is approximately 52.4 km. from the provincial city.

Mueang Boran Bueng Khok Chang

Mueang Boran Bueng Khok Chang, Tambon Phai Khiao, is surrounded by a city ditch and earth wall. Ancient ruins, pottery, stones for pulverizing herbs, metal tools, and yellow beads, as well as three ancient Khmer inscription stones were found here. At present, this historical site is a forest garden, covered with large trees, but the city ditch has become shallow. The discovered artefacts are kept in the Local Historical and Cultural Museum, in the Non-formal Education Centre, Uthai Thani, near the City Hall. To get there, take Highway 3221 from Amphoe Mueang, passing Amphoe Thap Than. Turn into Highway 3013, passing Amphoe Sawang Arom. Then, take Highway 3456 for about 14 km. bound toward Amphoe Lan Sak. There will be a stupa and a sign leading to Bueng Khok Chang on the left. This route leads through the old city of Bueng Khok Chang.

Khao Pathawi

Khao Pathawi, in Tambon Taluk Du, is a small mountain range with a length of approximately 750 metres and a height of 253 metres. It is quite high and steep, formed by rocks of different heights situated one behind another to the top. Surrounding the mountain, there are about 30 small and large caves, such as Tham Prathun, Tham Bandai, Tham Ang, Tham Phutthaprawat, Tham Buddha Prawat (Lord Buddha’s Biography), Tham Pla (Fish Cave), and Tham Khangkhao (Bat Cave). Stone tools and pre-historical human skeletons were found. The ground in front of the mountain is covered with shady trees and there are a lot of monkeys.

Wat Uposatharam (Wat Bot Manorom)

Wat Uposatharam formerly named Wat Bot Manorom, is sometimes called Wat Bot. It is an old temple on the Sakae Krang Riverside, on Ko Thepho, in the Mueang Municipality area. From the municipal fresh market, cross the bridge to the temple which is on the east side of the river. The interesting things to see include mural paintings in the ordination hall and wihan, which were made in the early Rattanakosin era. The paintings in the ordination hall were elaborately made, depicting the biography of Lord Buddha from the time when he was born until he died. In the wihan, there are paintings of Lord Buddha, preaching to gods in Heaven and the scene when he was resolving to enter nirvana. On the upper part of the wall, there is a picture of a gathering of monks, switching with Phat Yot, a long-handled fan of an ecelesiastical rank, which seems to show respect to the principal Buddha image. On the outside wall in front of the wihan, there is a picture of Lord Buddha’s cremation and the picture of villagers’ ways of life along the Buddhist concepts. It is believed to have been made by craftsmen of a later time. In addition, inside Wat Uposatharam, there are other interesting things to see, such as Sema, a leaf-like boundary sign made of red stone, in front of the ordination hall, a cabinet to keep Buddhist scriptures and a storage closet painted with the floral Kanok vine pattern. In addition, there is a Bat, a monk alms-bowl, with the lid decorated with mother-of-pearl inlay which was given by King Rama V and made by Chang Sip Mu (the Ten Departments of Craftsmen), as well as a Hong - Hamsa or Swan - on top of the column. There are also many attractive forms of architecture to visit such as the Octagonal Mondop which is a combination of the Western and Thai styles and has a decoration made of stucco, looking like climbing plants on the window frames; a high-relief cement Buddha image which is situated outside the building; three chedis of 3 periods comprising hexagonal chedi of the Ayutthaya period, a chedi with twelve angles of the Rattanakosin period, and a bell-shaped chedi of the Sukhothai period; Uthai Phutthasapha Conference Hall which is a pavilion in a typical Thai style, used as a praying hall, having a gable with stucco relief decoration; and Phae Bot Nam, a floating ordination hall in front of the temple which was built to receive King Rama V when he visited the North Circle in 1906. It was formerly a twin raft-house with Cho Fa - a gable apex, and Bai Raka - a leaf-shaped roof-edging, like other ordination halls. On the gable, there is a circle with Pali scripts reading “Su Agata Te Maha Raja” which means Maha Raja - great king - comes well. Later, in 1976, it was repaired to be one 2-storeyed building, including a raised platform, with a hip roof. The circle was moved to place in the middle of the gable. This Phae Bot Nam is used in religious rites such as weddings, ordinations, funerals, and various merit-making occasions.

Wat Mani Sathit Kapittharam 

Wat Mani Sathit Kapittharam is located on Sunthon Sathit Road, behind the health garden, at the Clock Tower Circle. This temple was constructed in the Rattanakosin period, and local people call it Wat Thung Kaeo. Inside the temple, there is a large five-pinnacled prang, with a width of 8 metres and a height of 16 metres, which was built in 1909. The prang contains the relics of Lord Buddha and the image of Luangpho Yaem who constructed this temple. In the area of the temple, there is a large holy water pool made of bricks and a stone tablet with magic scripts of Luangpho Yaem located in the middle of the pool. Its water was once used to bathe the king in the coronation ceremony of King Rama VI and King Rama VII.

Khao Sakae Krang

Khao Sakae Krang is a mountain where you can use stairs from the temple court of Wat Sangkat Rattanakhiri to climb up to the top. Otherwise, take Highway No. 3220 for 4 km. Pass the provincial stadium and drive along the route to the top of the mountain where you can admire the beautiful panoramic sights of Uthai Thani. It houses the replica of Lord Buddha’s footprint, built in 1905 and moved from Wat Chantharam. In front of the mondop, there is a large bell which was constructed by Phra Palat Chai and the people of Uthai Thani in 1900. It is believed to be a holy bell which all tourists coming to Uthai Thani should not miss to tap. Near the mondop on top of the mountain, there is a statue of Somdet Phrapathom Borommahachanoknat or the Royal Father of King Rama I, whose name of birth was Thongdi. Later, he was designated to be Phra Akson Sunthonsat, a chief clerk of the Interior Department. In the Ayutthaya era, he was Chaophraya Chakri Si Ongkharak. After that, in the Rattanakosin era, King Rama I (who was formerly called Thongduang) promoted the relics of his father to be Somdet Phra Chanakathipbodi in 1795. The Statue of King Rama I’s Royal Father was cast in double life size, sitting on a seat. In his left hand, a sword of the position of Chaophraya Chakri is kept in the sheath and put on the left thigh. The statue puts its right hand on the right thigh. On his right, there is a Phra Mala Sao Sung, a royal hat without Yi Ka (bird feather), placed on a footed tray. He wears sandals. There is a ceremony to pay respect to the statue on 6 April of every year, at the same period when Suphannika or Fai Kham – yellow cotton trees, the symbolic flower of Uthai Thani, bloom all over Khao Sakae Krang. In the forest behind the mountain, approximately 200 metres from the statue, there is a world map pin, a tool for mapping, which was built in 1932.

Ban I Mat-I Sai Hill Tribe Cultural Centre and Karen Village

This hill Tribe centre has a house with a raised lower floor, a thatched roof and bamboo walls. This is a replica of a Karen house for tourists to see and there is also a room displaying tools and utensils of Karens. There is accommodation available and a cultural performance if advance notice is given. Moreover, there are hill tribe volunteers taking visitors to see nearby areas. For more information, please contact Tel: 0 5652 0723, 0 5651 2026.

The Karen village near here is Chao Wat Yang Daeng Village that strictly adheres to old traditions. It leads a simple lifestyle and has a peaceful atmosphere. The interesting event of this village is the New Year Festival that is held on the full moon night of April.

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