| Nonthaburi is over 400 years old, dating
back to when Ayutthaya was the capital. The town was originally
located at Tambon Ban Talat Khwan, a famous fruit orchard where
the Chao Phraya
River and various canals pass through.
King Prasat Thong ordered the digging of a canal as a shortcut
from the south of Wat Thai Muang to Wat Khema because the old waterway
flowed into Om River to Bang Yai then to Bang Kruai Canal next to
Wat Chalo before ending in front of Wat Khema.
After the new shortcut was completed, the Chao Phraya River changed
its flow into the new route that remains today. In 1665, King Narai
the Great noticed that the new route gave enemies too much proximity
to the capital. Therefore, he ordered that a fortress be built at
the mouth of Om River and relocated Nonthaburi to this area. A city
shrine still stands there.
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