Centrally located, the city’s
main temple, Wat Tha Thanon, houses the sacred bronze
Lanna Buddha image of Luang Phor Phet, which is
regarded as the province’s
protector.
To the west of town is Wat Phra Boromathat, commonly
known as Wat That Thung Yang. The wiharn (chapel)
reflects the Laotian architectural style.
During the times when Burmese armies invaded Ayutthaya,
King Fang stationed himself at Wat Phra Fang to
monitor their movements for intelligence reporting
to the Siamese capital. The carved wooden doors
of the temple’s wiharn (chapel) are regarded
as the nation’s second most beautiful carvings
and are 5.30 meter tall.
Taking the staircase that ascends 60 m. up will
take you to Wat Phra Tan Sila-ard,
situated
at the summit of a hill, which houses a sacred Buddha
image of the same name. Religious devotees nationwide
regularly congregate her to pay their respect and
worship. Nearby is the ancient Wat Phra Yuen Phuttabat
Yukon that contains buildings elaborately designed
and decorated by highly skilled Chiang Saen artisans,
the last surviving samples of their works in modern
day.
Phraya Pichai was a courageous Uttaradit native
who frequently fought side by side with King Taksin
the Great to expel the Burmese invaders. After the
nation was reunited, the king bestowed upon him
the governance of Pichai town and promoted his official
title to Phraya Siharad Decho. The Phraya Pichai
Dab Hak Memorial was created to honor him and placed
in front of the provincial hall.
Uttaradit Cultural Hall boasts a collection of
antiques and artifacts found in Uttaradit, with
an abundance of knowledge and proof of historical
facts.
Presently a provincial district located only 8
km from the city, Lup Laa town was once enshrouded
with mystical tales due to its location within densely
forested mountains that overlapped each other, making
it indistinguishable and appearing to be ‘lost’,
thus its name. Nowadays, the forest are gone and
the town is known for its production of intricate,
embroidered cloths and brooms made from a local
plant.
Nearby is the spectacular, man-made Mae Phun Waterfall
that has a very natural appearance.
The Sak Yai Forest Park is located in Nambad District.
Within the park is the world’s
largest
teak tree (“sak yai”) with a circumference
of 987 cm and 47 cm tall, estimated to be 1,500
years old.
The abundant number of Bor Lek Namphee mines in
Thong San Kun District produced high quality raw
iron that were used to make swords and weapons in
older days, believed to have magical, protective
powers. However, one mine in particular, Bor Phra
Saeng, was prohibited from mining by commoners since
the raw iron here was regarded as the best in quality
and was reserved for making swords for monarchs
only.
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