Nakhon Si Thammarat

Nakhon Si Thammarat is a city in southern Thailand.

It is near the coast. The weather is very warm and hot all year.

It rains a lot from October to December. The city has a very old temple. This temple has a very tall tower. The tower is a symbol for the area. Long ago, the city had big walls for protection. Many people live in the city today.

Nakhon Si Thammarat is a city in southern Thailand.

It sits on the east coast of the Malay Peninsula. The city is the capital of its own province. It has about 102,152 people living there.

The city is a place where many people travel by train.

The weather is very warm and hot all year. It is a tropical place with a rainforest climate. It rains a lot from October to December. The driest months are February and March.

This city has a very long history. One of its most famous places is Wat Phra Mahathat.

This temple has a very tall tower called a chedi. The chedi is 78 meters high. It is a symbol for the whole province. Long ago, the city had big walls to protect it.

These walls were very long from north to south. Today, only one small part of the north wall remains. You can still see one of the old gates there.

Nakhon Si Thammarat is a large city in southern Thailand.

It sits on the east coast of the Malay Peninsula. The city is the capital of the Nakhon Si Thammarat Province. It was once a coastal city, but the coastline moved away. This happened because of silting, which is when sand and dirt build up. Today, the city has a population of 102,152 people.

Many people use the railway station to travel through the area.

The weather in the city is very warm or hot all year. It has a tropical rainforest climate. This means there is rain in every month. The wettest time is from October to December. November is often the month with the most rain. The driest months are February and March. Sometimes, the area even experiences cyclones. These are large storm systems that bring heavy weather.

This city has one of the oldest histories in Thailand. The earliest settlements were found near the modern city. People found ceramics from the Song dynasty there. Long ago, the city was part of the Tambralinga Kingdom. A king named Sri Thammasok ruled in the thirteenth century. He built the famous Wat Phra Mahathat temple. The city's name means "The City of the Virtuous King."

The city was once protected by large walls. These walls were 2,238 meters long from north to south. They were 456 meters wide from east to west. The walls enclosed an area of about one square kilometer. There were many gates in the old walls. The east side had three gates that led to the sea. The west side had five gates. Today, only the northern gate and a small wall remain.

Nakhon Si Thammarat is a very important place for culture. The tall chedi at Wat Phra Mahathat is a famous symbol. You can even see it on the local 25 satang coin. The temple is 78 meters high. It is surrounded by 173 smaller towers. The city also has many places for learning. It has two universities and many different schools. This makes it a busy and important center for the south.

Nakhon Si Thammarat is a major city municipality in southern Thailand.

It serves as the capital of the Nakhon Si Thammarat Province. The city is located on the east coast of the Malay Peninsula. It sits south of Bangkok. Originally, the city was located right on the coast. Over time, silting moved the coastline away from the urban center. This process involves sand and dirt building up in the water. Because of this, the city's shape is much longer from north to south than from west to east. This layout is due to its original position on a flood-safe dune.

The name of the city has a deep meaning rooted in Sanskrit. The word "Si" comes from the honorific "Sri." The name "Dharmaraja" translates to "righteous ruler." This term relates to an important concept in Theravada Buddhism.

The city is one of the oldest urban centers in Thailand. Early settlements like Tha Rua were found ten kilometers to the south. Archaeologists discovered Song dynasty ceramics there from the twelfth century. Later, the settlement moved to Muang Phra Wieng. This area was part of the Tambralinga Kingdom. The name Tambralinga means "Red Linga." This name comes from the Sanskrit words for copper and lingam.

History shows the city was a major political power. An inscription at Wat Sema Muang links the area to the Srivijaya thalassocracy. This was a maritime empire that controlled much of the region. By 775, the king of Srivijaya had established a foothold at Ligor. Ligor is the name Western sources used for the city. In the thirteenth century, King Sri Thammasok ruled the Tambralinga Kingdom. He is credited with founding the current city. He also introduced Singhalese Theravada Buddhism to the region. He constructed the famous Wat Phra Mahathat temple during his reign.

The Nakhon Si Thammarat Kingdom was quite large. It held authority over twelve cities. These territories stretched from Chumphon in the north to Pahang in the south. The Ramkamhaeng Stele mentions the city by name in 1292. This name means "The City of the Virtuous King." The kingdom eventually ended in the fourteenth century. Later, the city came under the influence of the Ayutthaya Kingdom. The Siamese government used a system called a mandala to manage its influence. In the fifteenth century, King Trailokanat centralized power. This made Nakhon Si Thammarat a "Muang Ek," or a first-level city. It became the main seat of Siamese authority in the south.

The city was once protected by impressive fortifications. These walls were built to defend the urban area. The walls measured 2,238 meters from north to south. They were 456 meters from east to west. This enclosed an area of about one square kilometer. There were many gates throughout the walls. The eastern side had three gates leading to the sea. The western side had five gates. The northern wall had one gate called Prathu Chai Sak. Today, only the northern gate and a small section of the wall remain. A French architect named M. de Lamare helped renovate the walls in the 1680s.

Wat Phra Mahathat is the most important temple in southern Thailand. It contains a sacred tooth relic of the Buddha. The main structure is a chedi, which is a dome-shaped monument. The chedi stands 78 meters high. It is surrounded by 173 smaller chedis. At the base, there is a gallery called Viharn Tap Kaset. This area is decorated with Buddha statues and elephant heads. The chedi is so important that it appears on the provincial seal. It is also featured on the 25 satang coin. The city's climate is a tropical rainforest type. It is warm or hot all year. The wettest months are October through December. November usually sees the most rainfall.

Modern Nakhon Si Thammarat is a busy center for education and administration. As of 2019, the city had a population of 102,152 people. These residents live in 46,145 households across five subdistricts. The city is home to two universities. Walailak University is the largest in Thailand. Nakhon Si Thammarat Rajaphat University is the other major institution. Many students also attend various vocational colleges and large secondary schools. The city has grown in size over many years. It started as a small sanitation area in 1913. By 1994, it had been upgraded to a city municipality. Today, it remains a vital part of the Thai south.