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Chaiya ( th, ไชยา, ) is a former capital district ('' Amphoe mueang'') of Surat Thani province, Southern Thailand. The main town is
Talat Chaiya Talat Chaiya ( th, ตลาดไชยา, lit. 'Chaiya Market') is the one of two sub-district municipalities (''thesaban tambon'') in Chaiya District, Surat Thani Province, southern Thailand. It was founded as the center of Chaiya District in ...
.


Geography

Neighboring districts are (from the south clockwise): Tha Chang and Kapoe of Ranong province; Phato of Chumphon province, and Tha Chana in Surat Thani. To the east is the Gulf of Thailand, with Cape Sui marking the northern end of the
Bandon Bay Bandon Bay ( th, อ่าวบ้านดอน, , ) is a bay in the Gulf of Thailand in Surat Thani Province, extending from the Sui cape in Chaiya District in the northwest to Kanchanadit District to the east. The total coastline is about ...
. The eastern part of the district consists of mostly flat low coastal areas, while to the west are the mountains of the
Phuket mountain range The Phuket Range ( th, ทิวเขาภูเก็ต, ''Thio Khao Phuket'', ) is a subrange of the Tenasserim Hills in the Kra Isthmus, Thailand. Geography The Phuket chain is a continuation of the greater Tenasserim range, forming one of ...
, including
Kaeng Krung National Park Kaeng Krung National Park ( th, แก่งกรุง) is a national park in southern Thailand, protecting 338,125 rai ~ of forests in the Phuket mountain range. It was declared a national park on 4 December 1991. The park is in northwest S ...
.


History

Laem Pho Beach in the district is thought to have been a Srivijaya Kingdom seaport in the 7th to 13th centuries. Srivijaya was an Indonesian city-state that grew to become an influential maritime power in what is now Southeast Asia. Tang Dynasty (7th–10th centuries) ceramics have been found in the area as well as pottery from India and glassware from Persia. Similar finds have been made in Ban Thung Tuek,
Takua Pa district Takua Pa ( th, ตะกั่วป่า, ) is a district ('' amphoe'') in Phang Nga province in south Thailand. Geography The district is on the Andaman Sea coast. To the north of the district is Si Phang Nga National Park. The southern part ...
, Phang Nga province on the other side of the
isthmus An isthmus (; ; ) is a narrow piece of land connecting two larger areas across an expanse of water by which they are otherwise separated. A tombolo is an isthmus that consists of a spit or bar, and a strait is the sea counterpart of an isthmu ...
, 200 km distant, indicating that there may have been an overland route connecting the Gulf of Thailand with the
Andaman Sea The Andaman Sea (historically also known as the Burma Sea) is a marginal sea of the northeastern Indian Ocean bounded by the coastlines of Myanmar and Thailand along the Gulf of Martaban and west side of the Malay Peninsula, and separated from ...
coast. This route would have enabled traders to avoid piracy in the narrow Strait of Malacca. The name ''Chaiya'' might be derived from its original Malay name ''cahaya'', meaning 'light', 'gleam', or 'glow'. Some scholars identify Chai-ya as coming from Sri-vi- ''ja-ya''. Wat Phra Borommathat is centered on a reconstructed stupa in Srivijaya-style. The nearby branch of the National Museum has several relics of that time on display. Two more former stupas nearby are now only brick mounds. Inscription 23, as it was labeled by
Prince Damrong Prince Tisavarakumarn, the Prince Damrong Rajanubhab ( Thai: ; Full transcription is "Somdet Phrachao Borommawongthoe Phra-ongchao Ditsawarakuman Kromphraya Damrongrachanuphap" (สมเด็จพระเจ้าบรมวงศ์เธ� ...
in his ''Collected Inscriptions of Siam'', is now attributed to Wat Hua Wiang in Chaiya. Dated to the year 697 of the
Mahasakkarat era The Shaka era (IAST: Śaka, Śāka) is a historical Hindu calendar era (year numbering), the epoch (its year zero) of which corresponds to Julian year 78. The era has been widely used in different regions of India as well as in SE Asia. Hist ...
(i.e., 775 CE), the inscription on a Bai Sema shaped stone tells about the King of Srivijaya having erected three stupas at that site and possibly the one at Wat Phra Borom That. Another important temple near Chaiya is Wat Suan Mohkha Phalaram (also known by the short name Suan Mok, or Wat Than Nam Lai 'Monastery of Flowing Water'), a forest temple. The temple was founded in 1932 by Phra
Buddhadasa Phra Dharmakosācārya (Nguam Indapañño) ( th, พระธรรมโกศาจารย์ (เงื่อม อินฺทปญฺโญ); ), also known as Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu ( th, พุทธทาสภิกขุ; , 27 May 1906 � ...
(1906-1993), a revered Buddhist teacher. In 1959 the temple was relocated to the present 380 rai (150 acre; 0.6 km2) site. These temples are believed to have been used to store rice in large quantities, due to the invading
Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...
. These large Buddhist rice temples are rare in the region and only one has been officially labeled as a rice storage temple. Although, the capital district (''Amphoe mueang'') of Surat Thani province is Bandon district, the local Surat Thani people generally refer to this district as the capital district and refer to Bandon district as little China of the province.


Transport

Chaiya is on the southern railway line, Chaiya Railway Station is the main railway station of the district.
Asian highway The Asian Highway Network (AH), also known as the Great Asian Highway, is a cooperative project among countries in Asia and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) to improve their connectivity via hig ...
AH2 Asian Highway 2 (AH2) is a road in the Asian Highway Network running from Denpasar, Indonesia to Merak and Singapore to Khosravi, Iran. The route is connected to M10 of the Arab Mashreq International Road Network. The route is as follows: I ...
(
Thailand Route 41 Highway 41 (41 ) starts at intersection with Route 4 in Chumphon Province. It goes southward passing through Surat Thani Province and Nakhon Si Thammarat Province. It ends at Phatthalung Province joining Route 4 again. Route Details Route ...
) also passes the city.


Administration

Chaiya district is divided into nine 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''). These are further divided into 54 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 m ...
s''). There are three 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 ...
s''):
Talat Chaiya Talat Chaiya ( th, ตลาดไชยา, lit. 'Chaiya Market') is the one of two sub-district municipalities (''thesaban tambon'') in Chaiya District, Surat Thani Province, southern Thailand. It was founded as the center of Chaiya District in ...
includes most of ''tambon'' Talat Chaiya and parts of Lamet; Phumriang the entire ''tambon'' Phumriang; Wiang the entire ''tambon'' of Wiang. The other six sub-districts each have a
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'' ...
as their local government.


References


External links


Chaiya National MuseumSuan Mokkh - The garden of liberationChaiya City WebsiteChaiya Witthaya School
{{Authority control
Chaiya Chaiya ( th, ไชยา, ) is a former capital district (''Amphoe mueang'') of Surat Thani province, Southern Thailand. The main town is Talat Chaiya. Geography Neighboring districts are (from the south clockwise): Tha Chang and Kapoe of R ...