Chan Royal Palace (; ) 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 shrine. In the past, it was also the location of Phitsanulok Pittayakhom School. Currently, the

Fine Arts Department The Fine Arts Department (, ) 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 by King Vajiravudh in 1912, split o ...

has completed the restoration of the Chan Palace Phase 1.

History

In 1362, King

Maha Thammaracha I Maha Thammaracha I (, ), born as Li Thai (, ), was a king of the Sukhothai Kingdom, and the first Buddhist philosopher to write in the Thai language. He reigned from roughly 1347 until his death in 1368. Li Thai was the son of Loe Thai and the g ...

(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 (, , ; , ) 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 along the river after Nan Prov ...

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

Sukhothai period The Sukhothai Kingdom was a post-classical Siamese kingdom ( ''maṇḍala'') in Mainland Southeast Asia surrounding the ancient capital city of Sukhothai in present-day north-central Thailand. It evolved from a trading hub to a city-state in ...

to the

Ayutthaya period The Ayutthaya Kingdom or the Empire of Ayutthaya was a Thai people, Thai kingdom that existed in Southeast Asia from 1351 to 1767, centered around the city of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya (city), Ayutthaya, in Siam, or present-day Thailand. Europe ...

. When King

Borommatrailokanat Borommatrailokkanat (, , ) 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 Elephants'' (). He was the first Thai king to possess a "noble" or wh ...

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 (locall ...

moved the capital to

Phitsanulok Phitsanulok (, ) is a city municipality in northern Thailand and the capital of Phitsanulok province. It had a city population of 60,827 and an urban population of approximately 200,000 in 2024, making it Thailand's 19th-most populous city p ...

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 (, ), was the title of the ''uparaja'' of Siam, variously translated as "viceroy", "vice king" or "Lord/Prince of the Front Palace", as the titleholder resided ...

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

Naresuan Naresuan (1555/1556 – 25 April 1605), commonly known as Naresuan the Great, or Sanphet II was the 18th Monarchy of Thailand, king of the Ayutthaya Kingdom and 2nd monarch of the List of monarchs of Thailand#Sukhothai dynasty (1569–1629), S ...

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 on studies by Santi Leksukhum The palace was deserted and long forgotten until 1901, when Prince

Narisara Nuwattiwong Prince Chitcharoen, the Prince Narisara Nuwattiwong ( ; 28 April 1863 – 10 March 1947), Prince Naris (นริศ) for short, né Chitcharoen (), was a member of the royal family of Siam (now Thailand), minister, general and scholar. A polymat ...

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

Chulalongkorn Chulalongkorn (20 September 1853 – 23 October 1910), posthumously honoured as King Chulalongkorn the Great, was the fifth king of Siam from the Chakri dynasty, titled Rama V. Chulalongkorn's reign from 1868 until his death in 1910 was cha ...

, detailing about the rediscovery of the palace ruins and recommended 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 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