Sapphaya (, ) is the easternmost district (''

amphoe An amphoe (sometimes also ''amphur'', th, อำเภอ, )—usually translated as "district"—is the second level administrative subdivision of Thailand. Groups of ''amphoe'' or districts make up the provinces, and are analogous to countie ...

'') of

Chai Nat province Chai Nat ( th, ชัยนาท, ) is one of the central provinces (''changwat'') of Thailand. Neighbouring provinces are (from north clockwise) Nakhon Sawan, Sing Buri, Suphan Buri, and Uthai Thani. The town of Chai Nat is 188 km north ...

central Thailand Central Thailand (Central plain) or more specifically Siam (also known as Suvarnabhumi and Dvaravati) is one of the regions of Thailand, covering the broad alluvial plain of the Chao Phraya River. It is separated from northeast Thailand (Isan) by ...

. The

Chao Phraya Dam The Chao Phraya Dam ( th, เขื่อนเจ้าพระยา, , ) is a barrage dam in Sapphaya district, Chai Nat province, Thailand. It regulates the flow of the Chao Phraya River as it passes into lower central Thailand, distributing ...

lies within the district.

Naming

The district is named after one local hill called "Khao Sapphaya". The word ''"Sapphaya"'' can be translated directly as "many kinds of medicines". It is said that when Phra Lak (

Lakshman Lakshmana ( sa, लक्ष्मण, lit=the fortunate one, translit=Lakṣmaṇa), also spelled as Laxmana, is the younger brother of Rama and his loyalist in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He bears the epithets of Saumitra () and Ramanuja (). ...

) was hit by Kumbhakan (

Kumbhakarna Kumbhakarna (Sanskrit: कुम्भकर्ण, lit. ''pot-eared'') is a powerful rakshasa and younger brother of Ravana from the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. Despite his gigantic size and appetite, he is described as a virtuous character an ...

)'s powerful spear until he was fatally injured. Phipek (

Vibhishana Vibhishana () is the younger brother of Ravana, the King of Lanka, in the ancient Indian epic Ramayana. Though a rakshasa himself, Vibhishana turned his back on Ravana, and defected to Rama's side, owing to his dharma. After Rama defeated Ra ...

) had

Hanuman Hanuman (; sa, हनुमान, ), also called Anjaneya (), is a Hindu god and a divine '' vanara'' companion of the god Rama. Hanuman is one of the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He is an ardent devotee of Rama and on ...

fly to search for a magical herb named Sangkorani Trijava ( Sanjeevani) comes to cure, this kind of herb only grows on Khao Luang hill. But it was a magic plant that could talk and escape. Hanuman cannot be picked. So he raised the entire mountain of Khao Luang, when flying through this area. A part of mountain fell to the ground and eventually became Khao Sapphaya. The folklore is based on the

Ramakien The ( th, รามเกียรติ์, , ; ; sometimes also spelled ) is one of Thailand's national epics, derived from the Buddhist Dasaratha Jataka. Fundamentally, it is a Thai version of the Hindu epic Ramayana. Ramakien is an importa ...

literature, a Thai version of Hindu epic

Ramayana The ''Rāmāyana'' (; sa, रामायणम्, ) is a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic composed over a period of nearly a millennium, with scholars' estimates for the earliest stage of the text ranging from the 8th ...

Geography

Neighbouring districts are (from the southwest clockwise) Sankhaburi and Mueang Chai Nat of

;

Takhli Takhli is a town in the province of Nakhon Sawan in northern Thailand. The population (2005) is 42,700. It is the site of the Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base. The town lies on the train line between Bangkok and Chiang Mai Chiang Mai (, from ...

of Nakhon Sawan province; and In Buri of

Sing Buri province Sing Buri ( th, สิงห์บุรี, ) is one of the central provinces (''changwat'') of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are (from north clockwise) Nakhon Sawan, Lopburi, Ang Thong, Suphan Buri, and Chai Nat. Toponymy The word ''sing'' ...

Administration

The district is divided into seven sub-districts (''

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'' ...

s''), which are further subdivided into 55 villages (''

muban Muban ( th, หมู่บ้าน; , ) is the lowest administrative sub-division of Thailand. Usually translated as 'village' and sometimes as 'hamlet', they are a subdivision of a tambon (subdistrict). , there were 74,944 administrative mu ...

s''). There are six sub-district municipalities (''

thesaban tambon 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 ...

''). Sapphaya covers parts of ''tambon'' Sapphaya, and Pho Nang Dam parts of ''tambon'' Pho Nang Dam Tok, while Taluk, Pho Nang Dam Ok, Bang Luang, and Hat Asa cover the whole same-named sub-district. There are another three

tambon administrative organization ''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' ...

s (TAO) covering the non-municipal areas of the sub-districts Supphaya, Khao Kaeo, and Pho Nang Dam Ok.

References

External links

amphoe.com
(Thai) Sapphaya {{Chainat-geo-stub