Chachoengsao ( th, ฉะเชิงเทรา, ) is a town (''

thesaban mueang Thesaban ( th, เทศบาล, , ) are the municipalities of Thailand. There are three levels of municipalities: city, town, and sub-district. Bangkok and Pattaya are special municipal entities not included in the ''thesaban'' system. The mu ...

'') in central

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

, capital of

Chachoengsao Province Chachoengsao ( th, ฉะเชิงเทรา, ) is one of Thailand's seventy-six provinces (''changwat''), located in eastern Thailand. History ''Chachoengsao'' or ''Paet Riu'' ('eight stripes') is a province in eastern Thailand. It has a ...

. It is on the banks of the

Bang Pakong River The Bang Pakong ( th, แม่น้ำบางปะกง, , ) is a river in east Thailand. The river originates at the confluence of the Phra Prong River and the Hanuman River near Kabin Buri, Prachinburi Province. It empties after 231 k ...

. It includes ''

tambon ''Tambon'' ( th, ตำบล, ) is a local governmental unit in Thailand. Below district (''amphoe'') and province (''changwat''), they form the third administrative subdivision level. there were 7,255 tambons, not including the 180 ''khwaeng'' ...

'' Na Mueang and parts of Ban Mai, Bang Tin Pet, Wang Takhian, and Sothon of

Mueang Chachoengsao District Mueang Chachoengsao ( th, เมืองฉะเชิงเทรา, ), formerly named the Mueang Paet Rio District (Thai: เมืองแปดริ้ว), is the capital district ('' amphoe mueang'') of Chachoengsao province, Eastern ...

. In 2006, it had a population of 60,893. The town was established in 1549 during the reign of King

Maha Chakkrapat Maha Chakkraphat ( th, มหาจักรพรรดิ, ; lit.: 'The Great Emperor'; 1509 – 1569) was king of the Ayutthaya kingdom from 1548 to 1564 and 1568 to 1569. Originally called Prince Thianracha, or Prince Tien, he was put on the ...

of Ayutthaya and originally was a centre for military 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 Thais from several towns including Chachoengsao to be in his work force. Chachoengsao is sometimes referred to as "Paet Riu", a name derived from large fish locally caught in the past. Paet Riu literally means "eight 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 accessed by train.

Etymology

''Chachoengsao'' ( ฉะเชิงเทรา) is believed to be a corruption of

Old Khmer Old Khmer is the oldest attested stage of the Khmer language, an Austroasiatic language historically and presently spoken across Cambodia, Southern Vietnam, and parts of Thailand and Laos. It is recorded in inscriptions dating from the early 7th c ...

''cdiṅ'', ''cdiṅṅ'', ''chdiṅ'', '' chdiṅṅ'' (“river"; "stream”), corresponding to Modern Khmer ស្ទឹង (''stɨng'') +

''jrau'', ''jrov'' (“deep"), corresponding to Modern Khmer ជ្រៅ (''crɨw''); literally "deep river"; after the

History

Chachoengsao has a history dating back to the reign of King Borommatrailokkanat in the

Ayutthaya Kingdom The Ayutthaya Kingdom (; th, อยุธยา, , IAST: or , ) was a Siamese kingdom that existed in Southeast Asia from 1351 to 1767, centered around the city of Ayutthaya, in Siam, or present-day Thailand. The Ayutthaya Kingdom is conside ...

. Most people settled by the Bang Pakong River and along canals. "Luangpho Phuttha Sothon" is a centre of faith of the people of Paet Riu. 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 the interior. Until the reign of King Rama V, who changed the administration system, Chachoengsao became a city. In 1916, its status was changed from a city to a province. "Chachoengsao" is a Khmer word which means 'deep canal'.

Geography

The western part of the province is the low river plain of the

, which is used extensively for farming

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima ''Oryza glaberrima'', commonly known as African rice, is one of the two domesticated rice species. It was first domesticated and grown i ...

. To the east is more hilly terrain, with an average elevation of more than 100 meter.

Symbols

The provincial seal shows the main hall of the Sothornvararamvoraviharn Temple. In this hall is the most important

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was ...

image of the province, called ''Luang Por Buddha Sothorn''. The provincial tree is ''

Peltophorum dasyrachis ''Peltophorum'' is a genus of 5–15 species of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae, subfamily Caesalpinioideae. The genus is native to certain tropical regions across the world. The species are medium-sized to large trees growing up to 15� ...

''. The tree was assigned to the province by Queen

Sirikit Queen Sirikit ( th, สิริกิติ์; ; ); born ''Mom Rajawongse'' Sirikit Kitiyakara ( th, สิริกิติ์ กิติยากร; ; 12 August 1932) is the queen mother of Thailand. She was List of Thai royal consorts, ...

on the 50th anniversary of the coronation of King

Rama IX Bhumibol Adulyadej ( th, ภูมิพลอดุลยเดช; ; ; (Sanskrit: ''bhūmi·bala atulya·teja'' - "might of the land, unparalleled brilliance"); 5 December 192713 October 2016), conferred with the title King Bhumibol the Great ...

in 2000. The provincial flower is the

yellow flamboyant ''Peltophorum pterocarpum'' (commonly known as copperpod, yellow-flamboyant, yellow flametree, yellow poinciana or yellow-flame) is a species of '' Peltophorum'', native to tropical southeastern Asia and a popular ornamental tree grown around the ...

(''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''.

Notable people

Wichan Sakiya Wichan Sakiya ( th, วิชาญ สากิยะ), born October 10, 1977 is a retired Thai footballer. Sakiya won the Kor Royal Cup with Krung Thai Bank FC in the 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons of the Thai Premier League The Thai Leagu ...

, footballer and

Kor Royal Cup Kor Royal Cup ( th, ถ้วยพระราชทาน ก. ; ถ้วย ก.), known as the Yai Cup ( th, ถ้วยใหญ่) until 1963, was the highest level of club football competition which competed in the tournament in Thailand ...

winner

References

External links

* {{coord, 13, 41, 25, N, 101, 4, 13, E, region:TH_type:city(60,000), display=title Populated places in Chachoengsao province