Chan Royal Palace ( th, พระราชวังจันทน์; ) located on the Wang Chan Road, Nai Mueang Sub-district, Mueang Phitsanulok District, Phitsanulok Province of Thailand, is an archaeological site complex consisting of the ruins of the Chan Palace and several temples. It is the location of a King

Naresuan the Great King Naresuan the Great (( th, สมเด็จพระนเรศวรมหาราช, , ) or Sanphet II ( th, สรรเพชญ์ที่ ๒), ( my , နရဲစွမ် (သို့) ဗြနရာဇ်); 1555/1556 – ...

shrine. In the past, it was also the location of Phitsanulok Pittayakhom School. Currently, the

Fine Arts Department The Fine Arts Department ( th, กรมศิลปากร, ) is a government department of Thailand, under the Ministry of Culture. Its mission is managing the country's cultural heritage. History The department was originally established ...

has completed the restoration of the Chan Palace Phase 1.

History

In 1362, King

Maha Thammaracha I Maha Thammaracha I ( th, มหาธรรมราชาที่ ๑, ), born as Li Thai ( th, ลิไทย, ), was a king of the Sukhothai Kingdom, and the first Buddhist philosopher to write in the Thai language. He reigned from roughly 1 ...

(Li Thai) of Sukhothai moved his capital to Phitsanulok, where he built the Chan Palace on a mound on the west side of the

Nan River The Nan River ( th, แม่น้ำน่าน, , ) is a river in Thailand. It is one of the most important tributaries of the Chao Phraya River. Geography The Nan River originates in the Luang Prabang Range, Nan Province. The provinces ...

, which is presumed to have been the residence of the Thai monarch from the

Sukhothai period The Sukhothai Kingdom ( th, สุโขทัย, , IAST: , ) was a post-classical Thai kingdom (mandala) in Mainland Southeast Asia surrounding the ancient capital city of Sukhothai in present-day north-central Thailand. The kingdom was foun ...

to the Ayutthaya period. When King

Borommatrailokanat Borommatrailokkanat ( th, บรมไตรโลกนาถ, , sa, Brahmatrailokanātha) or Trailok (1431–1488) was the king of the Ayutthaya Kingdom from 1448 to 1488. He was one of many monarchs who gained the epithet ''King of White Ele ...

Ayutthaya Ayutthaya, Ayudhya, or Ayuthia may refer to: * Ayutthaya Kingdom, a Thai kingdom that existed from 1350 to 1767 ** Ayutthaya Historical Park, the ruins of the old capital city of the Ayutthaya Kingdom * Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province (locally ...

moved the capital to

Phitsanulok Phitsanulok ( th, พิษณุโลก, ) is an important, historic city in lower northern Thailand and is the capital of Phitsanulok Province. Phitsanulok is home to Naresuan University and Pibulsongkram Rajabhat University, as well as ...

in 1463, his highness used the palace as a royal residence. It is believed that there were additional renovations made to the palace during his reign. From then on, the Chan Palace was frequently used as a residence of the

Front Palace Krom Phra Ratchawang Bowon Sathan Mongkhon , colloquially known as the Front Palace ( th, วังหน้า, ), was the title of the ''uparaja'' of Siam, variously translated as "viceroy", "vice king" or "Lord/Prince of the Front Palace", as ...

of Ayutthaya during this period, most notably becoming the residence of

Naresuan King Naresuan the Great (( th, สมเด็จพระนเรศวรมหาราช, , ) or Sanphet II ( th, สรรเพชญ์ที่ ๒), ( my , နရဲစွမ် (သို့) ဗြနရာဇ်); 1555/1556 – ...

when his father, King Maha Thammarcha of Ayutthaya, had given him the palace as a residence to the then-prince. After Naresuan's reign, the palace was abandoned as a royal residence.

Discovery

A reconstructed model of the palace ground, based of studies by Santi Leksukhum The palace was deserted and long forgotten until 1901, when Prince

Narisara Nuwattiwong Prince Chitcharoen, the Prince Narisara Nuwattiwong ( th, นริศรานุวัดติวงศ์ ; 28 April 1863 – 10 March 1947), Prince Naris for short, né Chitcharoen (), was a member of the royal family of Siam (now Thailand), ...

, while on a royal visit to Phitsanulok, wrote a letter to King

Chulalongkorn Chulalongkorn ( th, จุฬาลงกรณ์, 20 September 1853 – 23 October 1910) was the fifth monarch of Siam under the House of Chakri, titled Rama V. He was known to the Siamese of his time as ''Phra Phuttha Chao Luang'' (พร� ...

, detailing about the rediscovery of the palace ruins and recommendeded the king to send an expedition to Phitsanulok to rediscover and map out the former palace grounds. Later on, King

received a letter from Prince Nuwattiwong on 17 October 1901 (2444 B.E.), which states:

Registration as a historic site

In 1932, Phitsanulok Pittayakhom School was moved from the area of

Wat Nang Phaya Wat Nang Phaya is a Buddhist temple in Phitsanulok, Thailand. Geography Wat Nang Phaya is located on the eastern bank of the Nan River. Wat Nang Phaya links to the campus of Wat Ratchaburana. History Wat Nang Phaya is said to have been built w ...

to the area of Chan Palace. Therefore, the area of building construction was adjusted respectively. In 1992, the school constructed a 4-story school building on the basketball court near the Bodhi tree. While construction workers were digging holes for foundations, they discovered the old brick remains of the palace, which then the

registered as a historic site. On 26 November 1993, with an area of 128 rai, 2 ngan, 50 square wah, according to the letter from the Ministry of Education, 07/4954, ordered the Fine Arts Department to designate the palace as a historical monument. The school had to therefore find a new location. In order to prepare for the third school transfer, they moved to a new location.

Moving Phitsanulok Phitthayakhom School

In 2005, Phitsanulok Pittayakhom School moved from Chan Palace to Kaeng Yai Area until it was completed. They began to demolish all the school buildings in the Chan Palace area and improved the landscape for the restoration of the palace.

References

* Follow the footsteps of the southern Thai monarchs in the city of Phitsanulok {{coord, 16, 49, 47, N, 100, 15, 42, E, type:landmark_region:TH, display=title Phitsanulok province Archaeological sites in Thailand Former royal residences in Thailand