Koh Kret เกาะเกร็ด is a small island in the Chao Phraya River in Nonthaburi Province, Thailand. It is around 3 km long and 3 km wide with an area of over 4.2 square kilometers. It has seven main villages, the largest and most populous being Ban Mon. The island is best known for Thai-Mon people who make pottery for a living. The island is only accessed by ferries.
Koh Kret was originally a meander located on the Chao Praya river. Due to Chao Praya river's curvy path, ships would take longer to reach Ayutthaya, Siam's capital at the time.
During the reign of King Thaisa, the king wanted to reduce shipping time and improve the kingdom's economy. He planned a canal which would bypass the meander and act as a shortcut for maritime transport. The canal was dug in 1722, requiring around 10,000 men and taking over a month to complete. After the canal was dug, shipping to Ayutthaya became faster and the canal was called "Klong Lat Kret" by locals. As time passed, the canal became ...
King Naresuan Monument
A commanding 5-meter-tall bronze statue erected in 2002, depicting King Naresuan the Great in full battle regalia astride his war elephant, sword raised in the decisive moment of the 1593 elephant duel. The king wears a pointed crown and flowing royal robes, while the elephant is shown mid-stride with trunk raised and tusks forward, capturing the intensity of combat. The statue stands on a high concrete pedestal surrounded by offerings of incense, flowers, and garlands, and is framed by the vast rice fields that locals insist were the actual battlefield of Nong Sarai.
Don Chedi Stupa (Chedi Yutthahatthi)
The centerpiece of Wat Don Chedi, this tall, elegant late-Ayutthaya-period chedi is believed by Kanchanaburi locals to be the very victory monument raised by King Naresuan immediately after slaying the Burmese crown prince Mingyi Swa. Restored to a brilliant white with a square base, recessed niches, and a slender bell-shaped dome topped by a golden spire, it rises dramatically from a low ...
History of Wat Klang Khlong Watthanaram
Wat Klang Khlong Watthanaram is a relatively old rural temple with roots dating back to 1885 (พ.ศ. 2428). It was originally established by a local monk named Luang Pho Chai, who led villagers in building the temple on low-lying land surrounded by canals. At that time, it was called Wat Bo Hak (วัดบ่อหัก). The name was later changed to Wat Klang Khlong Watthanaram (meaning “Temple in the Middle of the Canal of Prosperity”), though locals often shorten it to Wat Klang Khlong.
The temple received its official wisungkhamasima (consecrated ordination hall boundary) in 1902 (พ.ศ. 2445). For much of its history, it remained a small, lesser-known community temple in Sena District, prone to annual flooding due to its location in a floodplain.
The temple’s modern fame began around 2012 (พ.ศ. 2555), when the current abbot, Phra Baitika Ekkaluck Abhasaro (also referred to as Phra Plad Ekkaluck in some sources), took over. The old ...
Mueang Sing เมืองสิงห์ is a historical park in Sai Yok District of Kanchanaburi province in Thailand. It protects the remains of two Khmer temples dating to the 13th and 14th centuries. It was declared a historical park in 1987.
The history of the site goes back to the period between 857 and 1157, a period when the Khmer Kingdom was flourishing. The town was abandoned in the early 13th century for unknown reasons. Another site south of here shows signs of being sacked and burned but no evidence of that happening here.
Prasat Mueang Sing ปราสาทเมืองสิงห์ refers to the principal temple structure located within the wider site of Muang Sing. For the walled, moated settlement itself the original name of the city was Jayasinghapura.
The sanctuary itself displays a classic Bayon-period layout with a surrounding rectangular wall with a cruciform entrance causeway to the east and an inner enclosure featuring 4 gopuras at the cardinal directions which in ...
