Chachoengsao
Encyclopedia
Chachoengsao is a town (thesaban mueang) in central Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...

, capital of the Chachoengsao Province
Chachoengsao Province
Chachoengsao is a province of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Prachin Buri, Sa Kaeo, Chanthaburi, Chon Buri, Samut Prakan, Bangkok, Pathum Thani and Nakhon Nayok. It also has a short coast to the Gulf of Thailand.-History:Chachoengsao or Paet Rio is a province in the Central region...

. It is located on the bank of the Bang Pakong River. It occupies the tambon
Tambon
Tambon is a local government unit in Thailand. Below district and province , they form the third administrative subdivision level. As of the 2009 there are 7255 tambon, not including the 169 khwaeng of Bangkok, which are set at the same administrative level, thus every district contains 8-10 tambon...

Na Mueang and parts of Ban Mai, Bang Tin Pet, Wang Takhian and Sothon of Mueang Chachoengsao district
Amphoe Mueang Chachoengsao
Mueang Chachoengsao is the capital district of Chachoengsao Province, central Thailand.-History:Mueang Chachoengsao district was established in 1896...

. As of 2006 it has a population of 60,893.

The town was established in the year 1549 during the reign of King Maha Chakkrapat
Maha Chakkrapat
Somdet Phra Maha Chakkraphat was king of the Ayutthaya kingdom from 1548 to 1568. Originally called Prince Thianracha, he was put on the throne by Phiren Thorathep and his supporters, who had staged a coup by killing King Vorawongsathirat and Sri Sudachan.-An Ayutthayan Prince:Prince Thianracha ...

 of Ayutthaya and originally used as a centre for armed force recruitment. During the reign of King Maha Thammaracha, the kingdom was in a weak condition due to being defeated by the Burmese. Phraya Lawaek, the Khmer king conscripted Thai people from several towns including Chachoengsao to be in his work force.

Chachoengsao is sometimes referred to as "Paet Riu", such a name is derived from large sized fish locally caught in the past. Paet Riu literally means 8 cuts or slices which refers to the way the fish was cooked and served as a local dish in Chachoengsao.

The town is about 50 km east of Bangkok and can be easily accessed by bus, train, or road.

History

Chachoengsao or Paet Rio is a province in the Central region. It has an old history back to the reign of King Borommatrailokkanat in the Ayutthaya period. Most of the people have settled by the Bang Pakong River and along canals. “Luangpho Phuttha Sothon” is a centre of faith of the people of Paet Rio. In the past, Chachoengsao was a fourth class city under the Ministry of Defence. During the reign of King Rama I, it was attached to the Ministry of Interior. Until the reign of King Rama V who changed the administration system, Chachoengsao became a city in the Prachin Buri Circle. In 1916, its status was changed from a city to a province. “Chacheongsao” is a Khmer word which means a deep canal. The name “Paet Rio” comes from the story that the city once teemed with giant snake-head fish; up to 8 cuts were required on the sides in making sun-dried fish.

Geography

The west part of the province is the low river plain of the Bang Pa Kong River
Bang Pa Kong River
The Bang Pakong is a river in east Thailand. The river originates at the confluence of the Nakhon Nayok River and the Prachinburi River at Pak Nam Yothaka in Amphoe Ban Sang, Prachinburi Province. It empties into the Gulf of Thailand in the northeastern tip of the Bay of Bangkok. The watershed of...

, which is used extensively for farming rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...

. To the east is more hilly terrain, with an average height of more than 100 m above sea level.

Symbols

The provincial seal shows the main hall of the Sothornvararamvoraviharn temple. In this hall is the most important Buddha
Buddharupa
Buddharūpa is the Sanskrit and Pali term used in Buddhism for statues or models of the Buddha.-Commonalities:...

 image of the province, called Luang Por Buddha Sothorn.

Provincial tree is Peltophorum dasyrachis. The tree was assigned to the province by Queen Sirikit
Sirikit
Somdet Phra Nang Chao Sirikit Phra Borommarachininat , is the queen consort of Bhumibol Adulyadej, King of Thailand. She is the second Queen Regent of Thailand...

 on the 50th anniversary of the coronation of King Rama IX in 2000. Provincial flower is the Yellow Flamboyant (Peltophorum pterocarpum).

The provincial slogan is The Bountiful Bang Pakong River,the Sacred Buddha Image of Luangpho Sothon, Phraya Si Sunthon the Scholar of Thai Language, and the Pristine Ang Rue Nai Forest

Interesting Places

Phraya Sisunthonwohan (Noi Acharayangkun) Monument Phraya Sisunthonwohan (Noi Acharayangkun) was a native of Paet Rio. He was the author of many textbooks on Thai language for teaching purposes, such as Munlabot Banphakit, Wahanit Nikon, Akson Prayok, Sangyok Phithan, Waiphot Phichan, Phisan Karan, etc.; these can be considered the most complete textbooks for Thai youth at that time.

Chachoengsao City Fortress (ป้อมเมืองฉะเชิงเทรา) was made to protect an enemy invasion. In the reign of King Rama V, it was a stronghold for an army to suppress the Ang Yi rebellion of illegal Chinese opium traders who instigated chaos and robbed the people.

City Pillar Shrine (ศาลหลักเมือง) The building of Thai architecture has a four-porched roof with a Prang finial. Inside, two city pillars are housed. The old one was built in 1834 during the reign of King Rama III. The other belongs to the present day; it was constructed in 1895 during the reign of King Rama V.

Suan Somdet Phra Srinagarindra Park Chachoengsao (สวนสมเด็จพระศรีนครินทร์ฉะเชิงเทรา) The park is dedicated to the memory of the mother of the King of Thailand. It is located in front of the provincial hall, near the town centre. There is a large lagoon at its centre surrounded by a walking path and shady trees. It is a popular recreation facility for local residents.
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