Tha Phra Chan ( th, ท่าพระจันทร์, ) is a pier on

Rattanakosin Island Rattanakosin Island ( th, เกาะรัตนโกสินทร์, , ) is a historic area in the Phra Nakhon District in the city of Bangkok, Thailand. It is bordered by the Chao Phraya River to the west and various canals to the east t ...

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...

, on the east bank of the

Chao Phraya River The Chao Phraya ( or ; th, แม่น้ำเจ้าพระยา, , or ) is the major river in Thailand, with its low alluvial plain forming the centre of the country. It flows through Bangkok and then into the Gulf of Thailand. Et ...

, in Phra Nakhon District. The pier is beside

Thammasat University Thammasat University (Abbreviation, Abrv: TU th, มธ.; th, มหาวิทยาลัยธรรมศาสตร์, , ) is a public research university in Thailand with campuses in Tha Phra Chan area of Phra Nakhon District near the ...

's campus of the same name. ''Tha Phra Chan'' literally means 'moon pier' (''tha'', 'pier' or 'jetty', ''phra chan'', 'moon'). More broadly, the name also refers to the area around the pier and the university. The area is also known as a marketplace for Thai amulets and

astrologer Astrology is a range of divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that claim to discern information about human affairs and terrestrial events by studying the apparent positions of celestial objects. Dif ...

s. It is also full of shops, book stores, restaurants, and food stalls. Tha Phra Chan today used to be the palace of Prince Prachaksinlapakhom (founder of

Udon Thani Province Udon Thani province ( th, อุดรธานี, ) is one of Thailand's seventy-six provinces (''changwat'') which lies in upper northeastern Thailand, also called Isan. It is bordered by the provinces of Nong Khai to the north, Sakon Nakhon ...

) who dedicated the land to the privy purse. Later the area was rented by a ferry company. Its name is derived from ''Fort Phra Chan'' (ป้อมพระจันทร์), one of 14 fortifications around the Grand Palace dating to the early Rattanakosin period. These forts and

moats A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that is dug and surrounds a castle, fortification, building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensiv ...

were built to protect Bangkok (or Rattanakosin in those days), given their proximity to the Grand Palace and the Chao Phraya River. As time went on, the forts were demolished, but with their names still used for the streets and places around Rattanakosin Island. For Fort Phra Chan, in addition to being the name of the quarter, there is small road in form of ''

soi ''Soi'' ( th, ซอย ) is the term used in Thailand for a side-street branching off a major street (''thanon'', th, ถนน). An alley is called a ''trok'' ( th, ตรอก). Overview Sois are usually numbered, and are referred to by th ...

'' ''Phra Chan Road'' (ถนนพระจันทร์). This road is one of the oldest in Bangkok. On the north side of the road is the wall 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 ...

, now a wall of Thammasat University, and on the other side is

Wat Mahathat Yuwaratrangsarit Wat Mahathat Yuwaratrangsarit ( th, วัดมหาธาตุยุวราชรังสฤษฎิ์) is a Buddhist temple in Bangkok, Thailand.Liedtke 2011, p. 58 It is one of the ten royal temples of the highest class ( th, พร� ...

. The road is sheltered by big Burma padauk trees and served by some bus routes such as 1 (Thanon Tok–Sanam Luang), 32 (Pak Kret–Wat Pho), 53 (Thewet–Sanam Luang), 82 (Phra Pradaeng–Sanam Luang), 203 (Tha It–Sanam Luang). Tha Phra Chan is busy during the day, as its Wang Lang Pier ferries commuters between the Phra Nakhon side (Bangkok) to the

Thonburi __NOTOC__ Thonburi ( th, ธนบุรี) is an area of modern Bangkok. During the era of the Kingdom of Ayutthaya, its location on the right (west) bank at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River had made it an important garrison town, which i ...

side (Chao Phraya River west bank). On the opposite side of Tha Phra Chan are found Siriraj Hospital, Wat Rakhang, and the

Thon Buri railway station Thon Buri railway station ( th, สถานีรถไฟธนบุรี) formerly known as Bangkok Noi railway station (สถานีรถไฟบางกอกน้อย), is a railway station in Siriraj Sub-district, Bangkok Noi ...

, colloquially known as Bangkok Noi railway station, which is the origin of the Southern Line, including the Kanchanaburi Line, the

Death Railway The Burma Railway, also known as the Siam–Burma Railway, Thai–Burma Railway and similar names, or as the Death Railway, is a railway between Ban Pong, Thailand and Thanbyuzayat, Burma (now called Myanmar). It was built from 1940 to 1943 ...

References

Neighbourhoods of Bangkok Phra Nakhon district Piers in Thailand Buildings and structures on the Chao Phraya River category:Retail markets in Bangkok {{Bangkok-stub