Sukhothai - Tourism Authority of Thailand, Malaysia

30 31Wat Yai Tha SaoWat ThammathipataiUttaraditA flourishing port for regional trade, it wasrenamed Uttaradit, literally the Port of theNorth, by King Rama V (1868-1910) and madea provincial capital.A province in the Lower North, Uttaradit has a long history goingback to at least the Sukhothai period (13 th century).Today, it is most noted for the cultivation of langsat fruit and forthe major lake formed by the Sirikit Dam. The provincial capitalis located 491 km. from Bangkok and the province covers anarea of 7,838 sq.km. The original town, called Bang Pho ThaIt, was located on the right bank of the Nan River. A flourishingport for regional trade, it was renamed Uttaradit, literally thePort of the North, by King Rama V (1868-1910) and made aprovincial capital. When the northern railway line was built inthe early 20 th century with a stop at Uttaradit, the town receiveda further boost. Unfortunately, the town centre was largely destroyedin a fire in 1967 and was rebuilt in a modern style.City AttractionsWat ThammathipataiAt this temple, the door panels of the large and ancient viharaof Wat Phra Fang are kept. The wooden panels are 2.2 m. wideand 5.3 m. tall and are carved in the graceful style of the LateAyutthaya Period. Only the panels at Wat Suthat in Bangkok areregarded as better.Wat Tha Thanon