Handicrafts village
is Ban
Khok Wua, Tambon Chai Buri, Amphoe Mueang. The village is about 6
kilometres from the city on the road from Sai Yuan intersection. The
village is famous for making products from coconut shells, now called
the
Million
Baht Coconut Shell Village. The community leader,
Mr. Plum Chukhong, pioneered the idea of getting villagers to make
products from coconut shells that can be found locally. Products include
kitchenware, household items and decorations. Eventually over 100
households began such an industry and later received support from the
Industrial Promotion Department. Popular items are spoons, coffee cups,
mugs, ladles, plates, bowls, lamps, and other decorations sold
domestically and to 16 countries worldwide. Visitors interested in
seeing demonstrations and buying products can contact Mr. Plum Chukhong,
No. 42, Mu 1, Ban Khok Wua, Tambon Chai Buri,
tel: 0-1465-5751.
Hat Saen Suk Lam Pam
is about 2 kilometres past Wat Wang on Highway No. 4047. This
shady pine-fringed beach on the bank of Songkhla Lake, the largest
freshwater lake in
Thailand.
In the middle of the rotary is a sculpture of a school of Lam Pam fish
native to the area. A water pavilion named Sala Lam Pam Thi Rak
is ideal for viewing the scenery. A bridge spans the beach and an islet
created by sediment from the river. In Lam Pam Lake are dolphins, which
can be seen frequently.
Khao Ok Thalu Khao Ok Thalu
can be accessed from Wat Khuha Sawan by taking Highway No. 4047. Khao Ok
Thalu rises majestically east of the train station. This mountain is a
symbol of the province. It is about 250 metres high. Stairs lead up to
the summit where visitors can get a panoramic view of the province. The
name of the mountain derives from a hole near the top that allows people
to see through it.
Phatthalung Governor’s
Residence is at Tambon Lam Pam, near Wat Wang.
Originally a government place and the home of the city lord, the part
called Wang Kao (old palace), three adjoining Thai houses, built in the
time of Phraya Phatthalung (Noi Chantharotchanawong) when he was the
provincial governor. The palace later became the property of Mrs.
Praphai Mutamara, the daughter of Luang Si Worachat. The new palace, or
Wang Mai, was built in 1889 by Phraya
Aphaiborirakchakrawichitphiphitphakdi (Net Chantharotchanawong), the son
of Phraya Phatthalung, then the provincial governor. The
Chantharotchanawong family has given this palace to the country. The
Fine Arts Department declared it a national historical site in 1983.
Phra
Phutthanirokhantarai Chaiwat Chaturathit
or called “Phra Si Mum Mueang”
is a Buddha image of southern Thailand and is a sacred relic
of Phatthalung. It is housed in a square pavilion in an area between the
provincial hall and the provincial court. This bronze image in the
meditation posture was given to the province by His Majesty King
Bhumibol Adulyadej in 1968.
Phraya Thukrat monument
is at Tha Miram intersection in Phatthalung municipality. Records show
that Phraya Thukrat was a monk named Phra Maha Chuai who resided at Wat
Pa Lilai during the reign of King Rama I. When the Nine Armies War took
place, Phra Maha Chuai rallied villagers to help Phraya Phatthalung
defeat Burmese forces. When he left the monkhood, he was appointed by
the king to be Phraya Thukrat to help the city lord. His title of Phraya
was of the same level as the city lord.
Wat Tham Khuha Sawan is
at the foot of Khao Khuha Sawan near Phatthalung market. A left-hand
road at Khao Hua Taek takes visitors to the temple. The temple was built
in the Ayutthaya period and was later upgraded to be the first royal
temple in the province. Inside the cave is a large reclining Buddha
image and another in a sitting posture. The cave walls and entrance are
full of initials of many kings and royal family members.
Wat Wang is in Tambon Lam
Pam, 6 kilometres from the city on Highway No. 4047 (on the same route
as Khao Ok Thalu). This is an important historical site of the province.
It was built by Phraya Phatthalung (Thongkhao) in the reign of King Rama
III and was once the place where government officials performed
allegiance pledges in the early Rattanakosin period. Inside the
convocation hall are murals of dusted paint in the time of King Rama IV
about the biography of Lord Buddha and about angels. The main plaster
Buddha image is from the same period. A total of 108 images line the
balcony around the building.
