Tha Phra Chan (, ) is a pier on

Rattanakosin Island Rattanakosin Island (, , ) 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 that were dug to serve as moats for what was originall ...

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 estim ...

, on the east bank of the

Chao Phraya River The Chao Phraya River 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. Etymology Written evidence of the river being referred to by the ...

, in Phra Nakhon District. The pier is beside

Thammasat University Thammasat University (TU; ; , ) is a public university, public research university in Thailand with campuses in the Tha Phra Chan area of Bangkok, Rangsit, Pattaya and Lampang Province. , Thammasat University has over 39,000 students enrolled in ...

'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 Divination, divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that propose that information about human affairs and terrestrial events may be discerned by studying the apparent positions ...

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) 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 The Grand Palace (, Royal Institute of Thailand. (2011). ''How to read and how to write.'' (20th Edition). Bangkok: Royal Institute of Thailand. . ) is a complex of buildings at the heart of Bangkok, Thailand. The palace has been the officia ...

dating to the early Rattanakosin period. These forts and

moats A moat is a deep, broad ditch dug around a castle, fortification, building, or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. Moats can be dry or filled with water. In some places, moats evolved into more extensive water de ...

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 In Thailand, a ''soi'' ( ) is a side street that branches off of a major street (''thanon'', ). An alley is called a ''trok'' (). Overview Sois are usually numbered, and are referred to by the name of the major street and the number, as in "S ...

'' ''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 (, ), 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 ...

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

Wat Mahathat Yuwaratrangsarit Wat Mahathat Yuwaratrangsarit () is a Buddhist temple in Bangkok, Thailand. It is one of only six first-class royal temples of the ''ratchaworamahawihan'' grade in Thailand. Its monks belong to the Mahā Nikāya. History Built during the Ayu ...

. The road is sheltered by big

Burma padauk ''Pterocarpus macrocarpus'', or Burma padauk, is a species of tree in the family ''Fabaceae''. It is native to the seasonal tropical forests of southeastern Asia: in Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam. It has been naturalized in India ...

trees and served by some bus routes such as 1 (Thanon Tok–Sanam Luang), 32 (Pak Kret–Wat Pho), 53 (Thewet–Sanam Luang), 80 (Sanam Luang–Nong Khaem), 82 (Phra Pradaeng–Sanam Luang). Phra Chan Road used to be longer. Currently, the missing phase is the walkway in the middle of

Sanam Luang Sanam Luang (, ; ), officially Thong Sanam Luang (), is a open field and public square in front of Wat Phra Kaew and the Grand Palace, Bangkok, Thailand. Sanam Luang is in the Phra Nakhon District, the historic center of Bangkok. In the ''Roy ...

. 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 () is an area of modern Bangkok. During the era of the Ayutthaya Kingdom, 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 is ref ...

side (Chao Phraya River west bank). On the opposite side of Tha Phra Chan are found

Siriraj Hospital Siriraj Hospital (; ) is the oldest and largest public hospital in Bangkok, Thailand on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River, opposite Thammasat University's Tha Phrachan campus. It is the primary teaching hospital of the Faculty of Medicine S ...

, Wat Rakhang, and the

Thon Buri railway station Thon Buri railway station () formerly known as Bangkok Noi railway station (สถานีรถไฟบางกอกน้อย), is a class 1 railway station and the current terminus of the Thon Buri Branch Line in Bangkok. Near the stat ...

, 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 b ...

References

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