THE CHAO PHRAYA RIVER

The main lifeblood of the Thai people

The legendary and significant Chao Phraya River is formed by four major tributaries, the Ping, Wang, Yom and Nan Rivers which flow from the northern watershed of Thailand to merge at Pak Nam Pho estuary in Nakhon Sawan Province. To its end at the Gulf of Siam, she flows for 379 kilometers through the central plain of Thailand the area that is the rice bowl of the Kingdom and has been over centuries gone by. She is eminent as the mother-land river.

The name Chao Phraya is related to the “Title of the Highest Thai Noble” in the Royal Administration. That’s why we sometimes hear people call the river her namesake as “The River of Kings”.

The Thai community relies greatly on water transportation, thus the main rivers and the intricate system of canals became the most important trade routes for people and they formed an important communication system that brought about social integration and prosperity to the community. Along the river we can see people of different races who have different religious beliefs and different cultural backgrounds living together in peace. The Buddhist temples, Christian churches, Muslim mosques and other spirit shrines are standing right next to each other.