Phichit (, เมือง) is a town (''

thesaban mueang Thesaban (, , , Pali: desapāla (protector of region) 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'' ...

'') in central

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

, capital of

Phichit Province Phichit (, , ) is one of Thailand's seventy-six provinces (''changwat'') lies in lower northern Thailand and 330 km due north of Bangkok. Neighbouring provinces are (from north clockwise) Phitsanulok, Phetchabun, Nakhon Sawan, and Kampha ...

. It covers the whole ''

tambon ''Tambon'' (, ) 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'' of Bangkok, whi ...

'' Nai Mueang of Mueang Phichit district, an area of 12.017 km². As of 2005, it had a population of 23,791. Phichit is 326 km north of Bangkok.

Geography

Phichit is at the confluence of the Wat Ta Yom River and 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 ...

History

The old town of Phichit was established in 1058 CE by Phraya Kotabongthevaraja, and was first part of the

Sukhothai kingdom The Sukhothai Kingdom was a post-classical Siamese kingdom (Mandala (political model), ''maṇḍala'') in Mainland Southeast Asia surrounding the ancient capital city of Sukhothai Historical Park, Sukhothai in present-day north-central Thaila ...

, and later of

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 ...

. The name of the city changed several times. At first, it was called Sra Luang (city of the royal pond), in Ayutthaya times it was called Okhaburi ("city in the swamp"), and then finally Phichit ("beautiful city").

Attractions

The Wat Tha Luang temple in Phichit is home to a large Luang Phor Phet Buddha image.

Notable individuals

Chaleo Yoovidhya Chaleo Yoovidhya (, , ; ; 17 August 1923 – 17 March 2012) was a Thai businessman and investor. He was the originator of Krating Daeng () and co-creator of the Red Bull brand of energy drinks. At the time of his death in 2012 at the age of 88, h ...

(c. 1932 – 17 March 2012) once listed as the richest person in Thailand

Climate

References

External links

* Populated places in Phichit province Cities and towns in Thailand {{Phichit-geo-stub