Ancient City of Tambon Khanathi

Ancient City of Tambon Khanathi      Tambon Khanathi or Tambon Ban Khon is located at Tambon Khanathi, 20 kilometers away from Kamphaeng Phet. It was one of the greatest cities in the past. Its provincial slogan presents its distinctive characteristics very clearly.      The 700-year-old castle means the old pagoda-like castle. Inside the temple, the castle is, to the people in this city, regarded as sacred. It tends to be untouched by the locals. One day, some locals saw a golden Buddha coming out from the castle and performed a miracle. The locals and people who live close to this province have worshiped the castle.      Khanathi, the ancient city refers to Khanathi as the first few cities of Khamphaeng Phet. According to the Northern Myth, King Kun Sri Intratit of Sukhothai came from Ban Khon or Muang Khanahti, which means, this city is older and was prosperous for more than a hundred year before Sukhothai. This is the reason why this characteristic has been added to the slogan.      Retold the sermon of the Buddha. Here at this city, there is a large Buddha statue in a blessing gesture. It is 1.5 meter tall and people believe that it is the most beautiful Buddha statue in Thailand. It is the statue during Sukhothai period. This statue has long been kept at Wat Prasard. It was once stolen, but due to the miraculous power, the statue was taken back to its place.      Bring both hands together in obeisance to pay Luang Phor Toh. Luang Phor Toh is an important Buddha statue of Wat Prasard. His holiness is well known. People tend to come to him for a mental support. The statue of Luang Phor Toh has been plastered. It is believed that the statue was in fact made of bronze.      The characteristics of Muang Khanathi are well presented in its slogan. Its history is unbelievably mystic. This city has no moat or berm. It is situated on the eastern side of Ping River. During the second time of his visit to Kham Phaeng Phet in 1907, King Rama 5 said that though it is an ancient city, none of the moat or berm could be found. The old temple around there is called Wat Ka Tueng. The temple is built with big bricks. To the east of it, there is a larger hall. Inside the hall, there is a large Buddha statue called Muad Muang Kham Phaeng Phet. Earthenware and porcelains were found around the place.      According to the most updated exploration in 2006, Muang Khanathi might have used Ka Tueng canal (close to Wat Ka Tueng) as a city moat and used the wood to defend, functioning as a wall. It is also believed that the city might have a wall, but it was decayed over time. It is very disappointing that at present, Wat Ka Tueng is not in a good condition due to the invasion and lack of attention from the public, despite the fact that it is an important historical thousand-year-old site.  

Credit: https://www.tourismthailand.org/