Bangkok (Lonely Planet) - Andrew Burke [50]
THAMMASAT UNIVERSITY
Map
0 2613 3333; www.tu.ac.th; 2 Th Phra Chan; air-con 508 & 511, ordinary 47 & 53; Tha Chang (N9)
Much of the drama that followed Thailand’s transition from monarchy to democracy has unfolded on this quiet riverside campus. Thammasat University was established in 1934, two years after the bloodless coup that deposed the monarchy. Its remit was to instruct students in law and political economy, considered to be the intellectual necessities for an educated democracy.
The university was founded by Dr Pridi Phanomyong, whose statue stands in Pridi Ct at the centre of the campus. Pridi was the leader of the civilian People’s Party that successfully advocated a constitutional monarchy during the 1920s and ’30s. He went on to serve in various ministries, organised the Seri Thai movement (a Thai resistance campaign against the Japanese during WWII) and was ultimately forced into exile when the post-war government was seized by a military dictatorship in 1947.
Pridi was unable to counter the dismantling of democratic reforms, but the university he established continued his crusade. Thammasat was the hotbed of pro-democracy activism during the student uprising era of the 1970s. On 14 October 1973 (sìp·sèe đù·lah), 10,000 protesters convened on the parade grounds beside the university’s Memorial Building demanding the government reinstate the constitution. From the university the protest grew and moved to the Democracy Monument, where the military and police opened fire on the crowd, killing 77 and wounding 857. The massacre prompted the king to revoke his support of the military rulers and for a brief period a civilian government was reinstated. On 6 October 1976 (hòk đù·lah), Thammasat itself was the scene of a bloody massacre, when at least 46 students were shot dead while rallying against the return from exile of former dictator Field Marshal Than-om Kittikachorn. Near the southern entrance to the university is the Bodhi Court, where a sign beneath the Bodhi tree explains more about the democracy movement that germinated at Thammasat.
Walk south from Th Phra Athit in Banglamphu and you’ll go straight through Thammasat, emerging at the south end near Tha Phra Chan pier.
WAT MAHATHAT
Map
0 2222 6011; Th Mahathat; admission by donation; 7am-6pm; air-con 503 & 508, ordinary 47 & 53; Tha Chang (N9)
While other temples in the area claim all the fame, Wat Mahathat goes about the everyday business of a temple. Saffron-robed monks file in and out of the whitewashed gates; grandmas in their best silks come to make merit; and world-weary soi dogs haul themselves out of the shade in search of food, if not nirvana.
Founded in the 1700s, Wat Mahathat is a national centre for the Mahanikai monastic sect and is home to the first of Bangkok’s two Buddhist universities, Mahathat Rajavidyalaya. The university is the most important place of Buddhist learning in mainland Southeast Asia – regional spats notwithstanding, the Lao, Vietnamese and Cambodian governments send selected monks to further their studies here.
Entered through the Thawornwathu Building, Mahathat and the surrounding area have developed into an informal Thai cultural centre. The monastery offers meditation instruction in English (see Click here).
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KO RATANAKOSIN STROLL
Walking Tour
Bangkok’s most famous sites are cradled in Ko Ratanakosin (Ratanakosin Island).
This walk starts at Tha Chang, accessible by Chao Phraya river ferries or, if you’re staying in Banglamphu, by an easy walk from Th Phra Athit through Thammasat University. If you start about 1pm you’ll be able to see the palace before it closes at 3.30pm and finish in time for a sundowner by the river before the last ferry leaves from Tha Tien. Alternatively, if you have more energy than time, start early and do this walk and the Chinatown walk in a single day. Much of the walk is shaded by trees, but it’s still worth bringing a hat and sunscreen.
1 Silpakorn University
From the pier, file east past the market towards Th Na Phra Lan.