It was a bright, sunny day in Nonthaburi. As we set off on a sight-seeing trip along the Chao Phraya, the prow of our chartered boat kicked up a refreshing spray of fine water droplets from the surface of the river. We had all been invited to take part in one of the annual boat excursions organised by Nakhon Nonthaburi Municipality and throughout the day we would we hopping on and off this vessel to visit historic and cultural attractions, including several temples featuring fine examples of art and architecture from the Ayutthaya and early Rattanakosin periods.
The mayor of the municipality, Somnuek Thanadechakul, welcomed us on board with a short speech. “The town of Nonthaburi was established in 1549,” he informed all and sundry. “In years past it was best known for growing durian, tangerine and other fruit.”
According to the province’s official handbook, simply entitled Nonthaburi, the town has a long history dating back more than 400 years to the Ayutthaya period. Originally a small settlement in Tambon Ban Talat Khwan, a tranquil riverside area of orchards, Nonthaburi was upgraded to the status of a municipality in 1549, the year after King Maha Chakkraphat acceded to the throne. In 1665, King Narai the Great had a fortress and official buildings erected at the mouth of the Om River.
During the Rattanakosin period, Nonthaburi grew in importance due to its close proximity to Bangkok, the new capital established by King Rama I. King Rama IV (1851-68) had the town’s centre moved to the mouth of Khlong Bang Sue. Later, King Rama V ordered the erection of a town hall at this site. In 1928, King Rama VII had the town hall moved to Ban Bang Khwang, next to the Chao Phraya, with officials taking over King’s College, a school for boys founded by King Rama V to teach English and law as part of his efforts to prepare Siam for the modernisation it would require to compete with other nations on an equal footing.
“A must-see is Nonthaburi Museum,” the mayor told our party. “It was built in 1910 and originally used as King’s College before it was turned into the provincial hall.’’
Right next to the museum is a shrine to Chao Mae Tubtim, a female deity long revered by Thais of Chinese extraction who believe she has the power to fulfil requests for success in business ventures.
The next stop on our itinerary was Wat Khemaphirataram which dates back to the Ayutthaya period and was restored by Queen Srisuriyentramart, a consort of King Rama II. Later, we disembarked again to tour Wat Thai Muang which was restored during the Second Reign (1809-24) by Chao Phraya Rattanathibet (Kun), a samuhanayok (top-level official) and ancestor of the Rattanakul family. It boasts an ubosot (ordination hall) shaped like a Chinese junk and a stupa from the early Rattanakosin period.
Our next destination was Wat Chaloemphrakiat, built in 1847 by King Rama III in memory of his mother, Somdej Phra Sri Sulalai. It is very beautiful and often used as a location for shooting period dramas for television. We travelled farther along the river to Wat Khae Nok which was established by Thai-Mon people in 1824 during the Third Reign (1824-51). Phraya Phahonphonphayuhasena and other conspirators gathered here to make a solemn wish before carrying out their bloodless revolution of June 24, 1932 which replaced the absolute monarchy of King Rama VII with a constitutional system which laid the foundations for today’s democracy.
As a token of their gratitude, the revolutionaries later paid for the building of a bell tower at this temple in the shape of a lotus flower in full bloom.
Returning to our boat, we proceeded north to Phutthasathan Choeng Tha-Na Bot, a religious site where the surviving structures from two ancient temples (Wat Choeng Tha and Wat Na Bot) are preserved for posterity. Here we toured the old ordination hall of Wat Na Bot and viewed the statues of Luang Phor Sua Dam and Phra Nirantarai.
Then it was on to Wat Chimphlee Sutthawas, another venerable old temple on Ko Kret, an island in the river where the descendants of Mon immigrants still live, adhering to many of the customs of their ancestors. We then strolled the 700m or so to Wat Paramaiyikawat, site of the island’s best-known landmark, a pagoda which leans over at a precarious angle. Along the way, one can stop to shop for local goods, such as pottery, vegetables and traditional desserts. Later, we crossed the river to visit Wat Bang Chak and pay our respects to Luang Phor Toh, the largest Buddha statue in the whole province.
After a long day of sight-seeing, we returned home with aching feet but happy hearts after making merit at so many temple and getting a taste of what it might be like to live in Nonthaburi, this veritable melting pot of Thai, Mon and Chinese culture.
Located on Ko Kret, an island in the Chao Phraya well known for its Mon culture and pottery, Wat Paramaiyikawat was built by Mon immigrants during the Thon Buri period and restored by King Rama V in memory of Somdej Krom Phraya Sudarattanarajaprayoon, the princess who raised him after his own mother passed away. Before the restoration it was called Wat Pak Ao, or Wat Phiamukia Toeng by the locals. Its ubosot (ordination hall) is decorated with murals which combine elements of traditional Thai and Western art. Pride of place in the vihara (assembly hall) is given to a huge reclining Buddha statue and another Buddha image (above) called Phra Nonthamunin which is regarded as the provincial emblem; it was fashioned in 1900 and formally given its name by King Rama V a year later. Also stored here is what is thought to be the first Thai-Mon version of the Tripitaka (principal Buddhist scriptures). The best-known feature of this temple is its leaning pagoda. Measuring 9.34m from its base to its tip, Phra Chedi Mutao was built sometime during the late Ayutthaya period and began tilting more than a century ago due to soil erosion caused by the adjacent river.
Wat Chaloemphrakiat is situated on the western side of the Chao Phraya River in Tambon Bang Sri Muang, a subdistrict of Nonthaburi town. In 1847 King Rama III ordered the erection of a temple on this site because it was near the Ayutthaya-era Tubtim Fortress where his maternal grandfather, Phraya Nonthaburi Sri Maha Utthayan (Boonchan), and his grandmother had once lived and where his mother, Somdej Phra Sri Sulalai, had been born. The construction of the temple was not completed until the Fourth Reign (1851-68). The fort itself was rebuilt and used as a military camp where soldiers would stay overnight while travelling to the northern provinces of the kingdom during the Fourth and Fifth reigns (1851-1910). Like most temples built during the Third Reign, the architecture of Wat Chaloemphrakiat has distinct Chinese influence. The ubosot has a roof made of unglazed clay tiles in the Chinese style. The principal Buddha statue (Phra Phuttha Maha Lokha Phinanthapatima) here is made of copper in the Subduing Mara posture. Another must-see here is Vihara Phra Sila Khao, a chapel which boasts a fine Buddha statue made of white stone which was brought here in 1858 on the orders of King Rama IV.
Moonmonthian Royal Pavilion.
Phutthasathan Choeng Tha-Na Bot is the name given to a religious site which includes the surviving structures from two different temples (Wat Na Bot and Wat Choeng Tha) which were built in the middle of the Ayutthaya period and restored much later by Mon immigrants during the Thon Buri period. The ubosot of Wat Na Bot has a rectangular shape with a double-lotus basement. The arches of the doors and windows are adorned with stuccowork peonies and the gable with floral woodcarvings. The extended front wall of the hall is decorated with a black stuccowork tiger. On the interior walls are murals depicting scenes from previous lives of the Lord Buddha. Worshippers often implore Chao Phor Sua Dam, a sacred spirit believed to take the form of a black tiger, to grant specific requests and later return with offerings of raw beef if their wishes have been fulfilled.
Wat Bang Chak was built by Mon immigrants in 1813 and was previously called Wat Bang Phum. It houses the province’s largest Buddha statue, called Luang Phor Toh, which is in the Subduing Mara posture. Many people visit the temple in order to walk through a tunnel under the ubosot believing that this act will drive away misfortune and other bad things from their lives.
Nonthaburi Museum is housed in what was once the town hall. The complex comprises seven twostorey brick buildings in all; the architecture is European in style with modifications to take account of the demands of a tropical climate. Built in 1910, the last year of King Rama V’s reign, these buildings are connected by wooden verandas and balconies to form a quadrangle. The complex was registered as a site of historical importance by the Fine Arts Department in 1981. In 2009, it was turned into a museum dedicated to the history of Nonthaburi. Among the objects on display here are a fascinating collection of old photos of the town itself, miniature models of boats and tools used in the cultivation of fruit (Nonthaburi was once famed for its orchards). There is also a permanent exhibition on the origins, production of and trade in pottery, now the province’s best-known product.
