Nakhon Pathom Attractions and Travel Guide

Attractions

Kasetsart University, Kamphaeng Saen Campus (Botanical Garden)

It is located on Malaiman route or 21 Kms. from Nakhon Pathom town.  In the university compound, there are number of projects to educate farmers and the general public that include scaled-down projects such as an agricultural technology project, an irrigation system initiated along with the Royal project, an Entomological Park where various species of butterflies are housed, a pilot vegetable plantation plot, and Suan Saen Palm (garden of a hundred thousand palms), which collects various kinds of ornamental palms.  For more information contact Kasetsart University, Kamphaeng Saen Campus, Nakhon Pathom tel: 0 3428 1655, 0 3435 1400, 08 9522 7952, Fax: 0 3428 1655 or http://naetc.eto.kps.ku.ac.th.

Wat Lampaya Floating Market 

It is situated in front of Lampaya temple, on the Tha Cheen River.  The floating market was initiated by the Tambon Lampaya Cultural Council and Lampaya temple.  It is a centre of trade for fruits and vegetables as well as agricultural produces including rattan ware, woven cotton, dyed cotton, and inexpensive food.  Local food like noodles with beef, Thai desserts, and steamed curried fish patty, are sold by local vendors who do their trade in their boats.  In front of the temple is another haven for the various species of fish including big catfish-like fresh water fishes, black ear, and giant gourami.  The cruise services along Tha Cheen River are also available.  Several types of boats cater to the needs of the visitors

Fish Sanctuary

Fish Sanctuary, located at Mu 1, Tambon Haui Plu.  The place is a natural fish sanctuary, which is the habitat of various species of fish typical to the Tha Cheen River.  The Fish Sanctuary can be reached via an access road 11 Kms. from the intersection at Nakhon Chaisi District Office.

Thai Farmers’ Lifestyle Museum

It is a house of Uncle Reungchai and Aunt Payom Chamniyom.  It is located at Ban Lan Laem, Mu 4, Tambon Wat Lamud.  The house-cum- museum displays equipment, utensils, and tools, used in rice farming.  Also within the house compound is a handicraft-training centre that trains townspeople to make various products from Water Hyacinth (Pak Tob Chawa).
To visit, please contact tel: 034 296-086 in advance.

Wat Klang Bang Kaew 

It is an old temple located in Tambon Nakhon Chaisi.  The temple houses a chapel, a vihara, and a principal Buddha image, all of which are very old and assumed, archaeologically, to have been built in the Ayutthaya period.  There is a Phra Phuttha Vithinayok museum, exhibiting historical remains, artefacts, as well as utensils of the late monks: Luang Poo Boon (Phra Phuttha Vithinayok Boon Kanthachoti) and Luang Poo Perm (Phra Phuttha Vithinayok Perm Punyavasano).  Various Buddha images, amulets, and sacred talismans of both late monks are also on display.  On another side of the museum, Thai medicines, herbs, and utensils of craftsmen are displayed.  It is open on Saturdays and Sundays, and national gazette holidays from 09.00-16.00.  For more information, call: 0 3433 1462, 0 3433 2182.

Misiem Yip Intsoi Arts Garden

It is located at 38/9, Buddha-monthon VII Road.  The entrance is opposite Rajavidhyalai College for which you have to go in another one kilometre.  The Garden houses masterpieces of arts created by Madam Misiem Yip Intsoi for educational purposes.  It is also available for organizing temporary exhibitions in an out-door gallery style and open-air art gallery for artists to exhibit their works.  For more information, call 0 2213 2027.

Open Study Centre or College in the Palace

Open Study Centre or College in the Palace, located alongside Salaya-Bang Phasi Road, Tambon Salaya.  The centre mobilises an ancient school of Thai arts called “Chang Sib Mu” or “The Ten Master Crafts”, the Thai arts that stem from local wisdom and expertise that Thais managed to retain from their forefathers.  “Chang Sib Mu” means a group of craftsmen who creates art in the ancient Thai style by hand, such as: painting, carving, mould-casting, plastering, casting, puppet mastering, lathe mastering, upholstering, etc.  The centre exhibits pieces of works of made by students of arts.  Souvenirs made by the students are also on sale.  For more information, please contact tel: 0 2431 3623, Fax: 02431 3624 or http://www.nfe.go.th/0415

Neun Phra or Neun Yai Hom 

It is located in Tambon Don Yai Hom.  Take the Petchakasem Road from Nakhon Pathom heading into Bangkok for about 5 Kms., you will arrive at a T-intersection, turn right onto Settakit 2 Road (Ban Paew-Don Yai Hom Road) and proceed for about 9 Kms., Neun Yai Hom is on your left and another 150 metres into a side road, located in the middle of the rice fields.  Amphoe Ban Paew is an ancient site.  In 1936, Phra Dhamma Vathi Kanachan (Luang Pho Ngeun), the abbot of Wat Don Yai Hom, dug up broken bricks from the base of the hill to build a church.  Digging down further, he found two square green laterite pillars both about 4 metres high with a unique carving at the crown of the pillars that resembled pillar doors of the Sanchi Chedi of King Asoka Maharaj, and a laterite statue of a crouching deer, another Dvaravati period Buddha image, and a broken stone Sema Dhamma Chakra (Buddhist Wheel of Virtue used signify temple boundaries).  The laterite stone pillars had a gap at the top for placing the Sema Dhama Chakra.  This is the same style as those found at Phra Pathom Chedi, Wat Phra Ngam, Wat Phra Padhone, and Sanam Chan Palace.  Presently, the pillars are at Wat Don Yai Hom, the laterite crouching deer and the Buddha images are on exhibit at the Bangkok National Museum.  These discoveries confirm that this area was once an ancient temple and that the hill must have been a large Chedi that was in the temple compound dating back to the Dvaravati period, or earlier, roughly about 1,000 years ago.  It is a revered and important historical site.

Phra Padhone Chedi

Another historical site located in Wat Phra Padhone Chedi temple, Tambon Phra Padhone.  It is located 2 Kms. to the east of Phra Pathom Chedi down Petchakasem Road.  The former shape of Phra Padhone Chedi was an upside down bell like other Chedi that was built in Dvaravati period.  As Wat Phra Padhone Chedi is located in the middle of the ancient city of Nakhon Chaisi thus several artefacts were discovered during excavations.  Some of the discovered items include Buddha images, heads of Buddha images and Buddha images in terra cotta, as well as a bronze figure of a garuda gripping naga under it’s claws, which is the official symbol of King Rama VI.

Wat Phra Mayn

It is situated at Ananta Uttayan Park, Tambon Huai Chorakae, to the south of Phra Pathom Chedi.  It is an abandoned temple that nowadays resemble a large hill.  Also discovered here are other artefacts which include bronze Buddha images as well as arms, thighs, and hands from a laterite Buddha image, Yaksa Deva (Thai mythical giant gods), Lotus Lion Deva, and stucco reliefs from the stupa ruins.  At present, they are exhibited at the Bangkok National Museum and Wat Phra Pathom Chedi.  During the reign of King Rama VI, Prince Damrong Rachanupap brought two large pairs of the Buddha’s Foot Print replica from Wat Phra Men and placed them on an outside corridor of Phra Pathom Chedi.  During an excavation by the Fine Arts Department and the French archaeologists in 1938, remains which resembles an enormous stupa were discovered.  It was a square-based stupa with very high-indented corners; the remains themselves were 12 metres high, with arched windows on four sides within which each houses a sitting laterite Buddha image.  Later, the Buddha images were enshrined at Wat Phra Pathom Chedi.  It is believed that these laterite Buddha images date back to the Dvaravati period, the same period as Phra Pathom Chedi, which is no less than 1,000 years old.

Neun Dhamma Sala 

It is located at Dhamma Sala temple, Tambon Dhamma Sala, 6 Kms. to the east of Phra Pathom Chedi, on the South-side of Petchakasem Road.  The physical appearance is that of a hill with a tunnel opening that is believed to connect Wat Phra Mayn to Wat Dhamma Sala.  From hearsay, there are various valuable treasures like ancient pottery but which may not be taken out because there is a treasure guardian spirit watching over.

Neun Wat Phra Ngam  

Situated at Phra Ngam temple, Tambon Nakhon Pathom, near Nakhon Pathom Railway Station.  At this temple, during excavations, a large Chedi dating from Dvaravati era and artefacts including dilapidated sandstone Buddha images, Sema Dhama Chakra (Buddhist Wheel of Virtue used signify temple boundaries), statues of crouching deer, bronze Buddha images, and earthen Buddha images, which were made with unsurpassed craftsmanship.  Prince Damrong Rachanuphab explained that the origin of the name “Wat Phra Ngam” (temple of magnificent Buddha images) was due to the beauty of the discovered earthen Buddha images, the temple was given such name.  Some of them are housed at the National Museum and others at Phra Pathom Chedi.  All of the discovered artefacts dates back to the Dvaravati period, which are the same age as those found around Phra Pathom Chedi.

Nakhon Pathom Palace 

It is located to the east and not far from Wat Phra Pathom Chedi.  At present, it houses the Nakhon Pathom Municipality.  Prince Damrong Rachanuphab mentioned the reason for building this palace in the book “Tamnaan Wang Gao” (or Tales of the Old Palaces) that during the renovation of Phra Pathom Chedi, it was inconvenient to come and go from Bangkok to Nakhon Pathom within a day, thus staying overnight was obligatory.  Under the royal command of King Rama IV, the palace was built near the Phra Pathom Chedi, similar in concept to those palaces in the Ayutthaya period whereby the King commanded that a palace be built on the perimeter of the temple housing the Phra Buddhabat (Buddha’s Foot Print).  The palace was given the name “Phra Nakhon Pathom” and the canals of Mahasawas and Chedi Bucha were dug to facilitate commuting by boat between Bangkok and Nakhon Pathom.

Sireeuchachati Herb Garden
 
Situated in the Mahidol University, Salaya Campus, Nakhon Pathom Province, the Sireeruckachati  Herb Garden serves as a collection and conservation center for study and research of medicinal plants available in Thailand. Within an area of 4 acres, plants are grown in grasshouses, decorative gardens and forest gardens.  Each plant is accompanied by its names and usage.  The garden is opened daily to public from 7.00 am. to 5.30 pm. For group tour that needs a tour guide, please contact: "The Committee on Growing Medicinal Plant Project; Faculty of Pharmacy, 447 Si Ayutthaya Road, Bangkok 10400; call 0-2644-8696 or visit www.pharmacy.mahidol.ac.th

Herbal Grove, Wat Plug Mai Lai 

It is situated in Tambon Thung Khwang, 20 Kms. from Nakhon Pathom town on Malaiman road.  An entrance to the temple can be seen on the left.  More than 500 kinds of herbs abound in the grove which covers an area of 92 Rais (36.8 acres) and in a tranquil ambience.  The temple offers various natural therapies including traditional massage, herbal sauna, herbal food, and meditation.  For more information contact, Nakhon Pathom Sanitation Office tel: 0 3424 2029, 0 3425 1548 and Wat Plug Mai Lai tel:  0 3420 4044, 0 3420 4470.

Thai Soang village

It is located at Ban Ko Rad, Tambon Bang Pla, which is 9 Kms. south of Amphoe Bang Len, via the Bang Len-Don Toom route.  The village is home to Thai Soang or Thai Soang Dum (Thai Soang usually wear black dresses) or Lao Soang, who migrated from Ban Nong Prong, Amphoe Khao Yoi, Petchaburi, who have a distinct culture and tradition of their own.  The village also features interesting handicraft like weaving and rattan ware.

Kasetsart Uninversity, Kamphaeng Saen Campus (Botanical Garden)
 
Kasetsart University, Kamphaeng Saen Campus (Botanical Garden), located on Malaimaen route or 21 Kms. from Nakhon Pathom town. In the university compound, there are number of projects to educate farmers and the general public that include scaled-down projects such as an agricultural technology project, an irrigation system initiated along with the Royal project, an Entomological Park where various species of butterflies are housed, a pilot vegetable plantation plot, and Suan Saen Palm (garden of a hundred thousand palms), which collects various kinds of ornamental palms. For more information contact Kasetsart University, Kamphaeng Saen Campus, Nakhon Pathom tel: 0 2942 8010 ext. 3104.

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