Location: 71/1
Mu 6 Nikhom Sang Toneng Sub-District, Mueang District, Lop Buri
15000
Since its establishment in 1981, the Mushroom Farm has developed
its technology to grow high-quality organic mushrooms using EM
microbe. Visitors can take a short tour of the farm or sample
several kinds of preserved mushrooms which are also available
for sale. Farm-stay accommodations are available but
reservations must be made in advance. Call 036 652442 or 07
0710683 for more details.
This museum
was established in 1924 by with the Phra Narai Ratchaniwet as
its exhibition halls. Currently, three historical buildings are
used to display various art objects, including an impressive
collection of Lop Buri-style sculpture and Khmer, Dvaravati,
U-Thong and Ayutthaya arts. In addition, traditional
agricultural tools, including ploughs, carts, grain separators
and fish traps, are on display in different buildings. The
Museum opens daily except Monday and Tuesday, from 9.00a.m. to
4.00p.m. Admission fee is 30 bahts. Museum services include:
lectures, tour guides, special exhibitions, slides, videos,
postcards, books and a gift shop.
The Statue of
King Narai the Great is located near the town entrance. It was
built to honor King Narai the Great in forging ahead
technological development, foreign relations and prosperity to
Lop Buri and the Ayutthaya Kingdom. He was the first monarch to
bring modern technology into use such as the use of terra-cotta
pipes and construction of celestial observatory. He is also
remembered for his neo-foreign policy as he established close
diplomatic ties with the European powers.
A 25-acre zoo
is well known for its interesting residents: Asian and
Australian birds and mammals. The most striking feature of the
zoo is the unusual family of three tigers and four dogs who live
harmoniously together in the same quarters. The zoo is located
behind the Army Theatre near the Sa Kaew Circle. Opens daily
from 8.00 a.m. – 6.00 p.m.
An
agro-tourism farm covering an area of 50 rai, Oasis Agro-Farm
was established in 2001 to raise imported ostriches from South
Africa. The farm is divided into different zones including a
butterfly farm, an ostrich ranch, a sunflower plantation, etc.
Visitors can enjoy hand-feeding the ostriches and driving a
mini-tractor along the sunflower plantation. Admission fee is 10
bahts/person. For more information, contact Mr. Somchat
Singhapol at 01 7808928 or 01 9941256 or you can visit
www.oasisfarm.net to get
a glimpse of the farm.
The palace was
built in 1665 and 1677, when King Narai the Great decided to
make Lop Buri the second capital of the Ayutthaya Kingdom.
Although the buildings were designed by with the contributions
of French architects, the Khmer influence was still strong. The
Palace was a perfect blend of the both world, an awesome mixture
of Khmer-European styles.
After the
death of King Narai the Great in 1688, the palace was deserted.
It was not until the reign of King Rama IV during the
Ratanakosin era, that the Palace was restored and renamed Narai
Ratchaniwet.
The Palace is
located in the town center, between Ratchadamnoen Road and Pratu
Chai Road. The whole complex has been turned into the Lop Buri
National Museum (commonly known as King Narai National Museum).
The Palace can
be accessed through the Pratu Phayakkha, which is currently a
town park, located off Sorasak Road. The Palace opens Wednesdays
through Sundays from 7.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m.
Within the
Palace lies a number of compounds containing pavilions, some
built during the reign of King Narai and others constructed
during the reign of King Rama IV.
Structures
built during the reign of King Narai the Great include:
The first
Palace of King Narai the Great in Lop Buri, the Pavilion was
subsequently turned into an audience hall after he moved his
residence to the Suttha Sawan Pavilion. The fact that the
building is of pure Thai architectural style indicates that no
French architects were involved in the design and construction
process. King Rama IV (King Mongkut of the Ratanakosin era)
restored the building in 1863. The Pavilion was once used by the
privy-council as a meeting hall. Now, it serves as a hall
displaying archaeological and art objects, especially the Lop
Buri-style stone Buddha images, historic paintings from the era
of King Narai the Great and Buddhist art objects from the
Ayutthaya and Ratanakosin period.
This compound
was built as a place to store royal treasures and royal goods
sold to foreign merchants during the late 1600s. It is commonly
known as “the Twelve Treasure Houses”.
Constructed
during the reign of King Narai the Great, the reservoir stored
water which came from a freshwater lake “Tale Chupsorn”, through
the well designed terra cotta pipes. Tale Chupsorn was the main
lake supplying drinking water to Lop Buri residents.
Constructed
under the royal command of King Narai the Great, the Hall was
formerly used by King Narai as an audience hall receiving
high-ranking foreign ambassadors. This was the place where the
King received Chevalier de Chaumont, the representative of King
Louis XIV of France. The Hall was built in a perfect blending of
French and Thai architectural styles.
The Pavilion
was once located amidst a beautifully decorated garden with
ponds and fountains. This was the place where King Narai the
Great resided and died on 11 July 1688. Apart from the Pavilion,
which had been restored by King Mongkut, only the remains of
man-made hills and fountains can be seen.
Commonly known
as Phra Thinang Yen, the Hall is located on an island in a dried
up lake, Thale Chupson, which once supplied fresh drinking water
to the people of Lop Buri. Kraison Siharat Hall was used as the
residence of King Narai, Jesuits and envoys of King Louis XIV of
France when they came to witness a lunar eclipse on 11 December,
1685
Built by King
Narai the Great, the building is located to the south of the
outer section of the palace. Serving as the King’s private
audience hall, the building featured Thai-style architecture of
which it is currently possible to see only the remains of wall
sections with visible decorative motifs at the doors and
windows.
Surrounded on
three sides by ponds, the Hall was built to entertain important
foreign visitors. One of the remains includes a brick platform
facing the Hall, which was used as a stage or theater possibly
for shadow plays or dances indicating that the place was once
used as an entertainment compound.
This pavilion
was a three-story brick building where King Rama IV (King
Mongkut) resided when he visited Lop Buri during the renovation
of the Palace. Connected to the pavilion are three other
buildings namely Suttha Winitchai Pavilion, Chai Sattrakon
Pavilion and Akson Sattrakhom. All of these buildings are now
being used as the offices of the Lop Buri National Museum.
A group of
eight two-story buildings built behind King Mongkut’s residence
(Phiman Mongkut Pavilion), which were used as residences for
inner court officials.
Located
on Vichayen Road, approximately 200 meters from the
railway station, Phra Prang Sam Yot is Lop Buri’s best
known landmark and provincial symbol. A former Hindu
Shrine built in the 13th century in the classic Bayon
style of Khmer architecture, the compound comprises
three prangs (towers) linked by a corridor. The three
laterite and sandstone spires decorated with classic
stucco are believed to have originally represented the
Hindu Trimurti; Brahman (the creator), Vishnu (the
preserver) and Siva (the destroyer). During the reign of
King Narai, the shrine was converted into a Buddhist
temple when a brick viharn located to the east which
houses a grand U-Thong-Ayutthaya style Buddha image was
probably built. Buddha images were later added to the
two prangs. The temple is open at 8.00 a.m. until 6.00
p.m., admission fee is 30 bahts.
Prang Khaek is
the oldest monument of Lop Buri and the oldest Khmer-style Hindu
Shrine to be found in Thailand’s central region. A fascinating
small compound of Khmer remains, it consists of the three brick
prangs constructed without adjoining corridors. Prang Khaek was
restored by King Narai the Great in the 17th century. Recently
restored by the Fine Arts Department, it is located on Vichayen
Road, near the Narai Ratchaniwet Palace.
Another former
Brahman Shrine located next to Wat Phra Prang Sam Yot, across
the railway station, is San Phra Kan. The compound is comprised
of both old and new sections. The former can be dated back to
the Khmer period, as attested by the laterite mound that was
found. The new section, constructed in 1951, contains a famous
object of worship – a four-armed Vishnu figure fixed with a
Buddha's head. Located nearby is a guardian house in which
various Buddha and Hindu images are enshrined. A troop of
monkeys begging for food usually surrounds the Shrine.
Sometimes, they can become offensive to visitors, especially
those giving out food for their photographs.
The
Vichayen House was built at the royal command of King
Narai the Great. It initially served as a residence of
Chevalier de Chaumont, the first French ambassador to
Thailand during the reign of King Louis XIV. Later on,
it was occupied by the Greek, Constantine Phaulkon, who
later became King Narai’s advisor and was granted the
position of royal minister – Chao Phraya Vichayen.
Located just 300 meters from Prang Khaek, the compound
has many interesting visible ruins including the Roman
Catholic Chapel, a hall of residence for ambassador and
mission members, brick water tanks and fountains.
Admission fee is 30 bahts.
Built during
the reign of King Mongkut, the temple was originally called Wat
Ko Kaew as it was located on a small island. Remains found in
the compound include the Chedi Luang Pho Saeng, the ubosot, the
viharn and a large Buddha image situated along the riverside.
Located north
of the railway station near San Phra Kan is Wat Nakhon Kosa
which may have originally been a Hindu Shrine as the temple was
built in 1157 by the Khmers. Later on, U-Thong style cement
Buddha images were added on the prangs.
The oldest
temple with tallest Prang in Lop Buri, Wat Phra Si Maha That is
located behind the railway station near the San Phra Kan. The
Lop-Buri style prang in front of the temple was built around
1157 when the town came under Khmer rule. The U-Thong style
Buddha images on the prang and the large viharn were later added
by King Narai the Great. The laterite prang still has some
original lintels and stucco work intact. A number of other
chedis and prangs - most of which were restored – were greatly
influenced by both the Sukhothai and Ayutthaya styles.
A Jesuit
Church founded by the Portuguese during the reign of King Narai
the Great, Wat San Paulo is situated approximately 3 kilometers
east of town, off of Ramdaecho Road. The word San Paulo was
probably dubbed by Thais – especially when they pronounced Saint
Paul or Saint Paulo in Thai style. Visible in the site are the
remains of a brick wall and stucco tower, as well as an
octagonal, 3-story, observatory.
Situated on
Rue de France, to the north of Phra Narai Ratchaniwet, this
western style viharn was believed to have originally been built
by King Narai the Great as a church for Christian envoys. It was
subsequently restored by King Narai the Great, who ordered the
replacement of Thai windows with Western-style windows with
Gothic-designs in the secondary chapel. Later on, the viharn was
converted into a Buddhist temple. It contains a large seated
Ayutthaya-style Buddha image.
In addition,
assorted Lop-Buri style Buddha images can be found on the
surrounding walls.
Located on the
bank of the Lop Buri River, 9 kilometers south of the town
center along the Lop Buri-Bang Pahan route is Wat Yang Na
Rangsi. The temple is famous for its Buddha images which were
made of sandstone and quartz. It is also notable for its wooden
sala (a wooden teaching hall) which was built in 1927 in a
typical central region style. The sala has been converted into
the Lop Buri Boat Museum, where a large collection of local
vessels, in particular a one-seat barge, are exhibited.
