NAKORN PATHOM, THAILAND;PRA PATHOM CHEDI The first religious landmark

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Today's article is quite special to me because it is about my hometown where I was living for the past 7 years here are some interesting details and information about this place.Nakhon Pathom is in a small province 56 km from Bangkok.
The province features an ancient religious structure called Phra Pathom Chedi, the first religious landmark that signified the influx of Buddhism into Thailand. Nakhon Pathom is also renowned for its abundant fruits varieties and famous dishes.Formerly situated by the sea, the city prospered during the Dvaravati civilisation. According to archaeological findings, Nakhon Pathom was the first city to possess influences of Buddhism and Indian civilisations. From the Phra Pathom Chedi and other remains discovered in the city area, it is believed that the city was a centre of civilisation in that era. People of different races settled in Nakhon Pathom. However, a change in the course of the river caused a draught that forced the people to migrate and settle on the banks of river, and these communities developed into towns.

The new town was called Nakhon Chaisi or Sirichai, leaving Nakhon Pathom deserted for hundreds of years until the reign of King Rama IV. While His Majesty was in monk hood, he travelled to Nakhon Pathom and found the Phra Pathom Chedi that he regarded to be the largest pagoda of all.The surrounding area, Nakhon Pathom Province, covers an area of 2,168 square kilometres or 542,081.6 acres. It is divided into 7 administrative districts (called Amphoe in Thailand), and they are: Amphoe Muang Nakhon Pathom, Amphoe Buddhamonthon, Amphoe Sam Phran, Amphoe Nakhon Chaisi, Amphoe Bang Len, Amphoe Kamphaeng Saen, and Amphoe Don Toom. Most of the areas are plains with no mountainous land, plateaus are found in the west east of Amphoe Muang and Amphoe Kamphaeng Saen. The plains along the Tha Cheen River (Nakhon Chaisi River) are the location of Amphoe Nakhon Chaisi, Amphoe Sam Phran, and Amphoe Bang Len. These fertile lands provide agricultural area for people, thus most of the residents earn their living from agriculture; plantations, farming, growing food crops, and fruit orchards. Especially for pomelo. Nakhon Pathom is well known for pomelo, some call Nakhon Pathom the sweet pomelo town.

A famous sweet pomelo

The Night Market in the area of Pagoda or Chedi (aka ONG-PRA) is located on the west side of the pagoda. There are many food hawkers or food stalls where you can enjoy a variety of food. It's a cheap and clean open air food court, open 6PM-11PM. Don't forget to drop in at Flying Ice Cream - you'll be fascinated by how ice cream flies. You can also sample what is reputadly the best Khao Lam  (sticky rice and coconut milk cooked in bamboo) in all of Thailand. Another dish you might want to try is sweet pomelo  which has been much talked about. It is a major product from Nakhon Chai Si district (east of Nakhon Pathom town). Also the fragrant coconut juice  is worth its fame.

People can make a day-trip from Bangkok to Nakhon Pathom. So you don't really need to sleep there. But if you want a slow trip there, all the hotels in Nakhon Pathom are like hotels in most other provincial capitals  designed for Thais, and straight out of the 1970s. At the Nakhon Inn, for example, they haven't changed their brochure since the early 1980s, and the photos of the rooms still match exactly to the rooms you'll stay in. That said, they are comfortable and prices are very reasonable.