3 Communities Cultural Heritage to Preserve

Communities

Cultural Heritage to Preserve

The direct access to the sea was certainly a contributory factor which brought prosperity to Phetchaburi in bygone days. The fact that foreign merchants’ vessels kept on sailing into the Gulf of Siam and traded actively with the locals enabled this little port to fulfil its commercial potential and flourish more and more in the following Rattanakosin period. A flood of Chinese immigrants sought to settle in this fertile and arable land, bringing with them a bedroll and maybe a paltry sum. Owing to their stamina and business sense, these tradesmen were successful in embarking on their career. They set up house together along the banks of Phetchaburi River so as to form some close-knit local communities.

Viharn of Wat Phubphla Chai used as a learning centre housing leather shadow puppets, popular spectacle in old days

Klong Krachaeng Community

It is well worth going for a nostalgic stroll through the old shopping area called

“Klong Kracheang” as it can transport us to ancient times when the city canal used to be jammed with barges covered with canopy or “Rua Krachaeng”. The learning centre of this riverine community is situated at the Wat PhlabPhla Chai, ancient temple constructed in the late Ayutthaya period whose Viharn adorned with fine stucco

designs, has been converted into a lovely leather shadow puppet museum. More-over, a cultural youth group has created a series of workshops aimed at conserving local wisdom and sharing first-hand knowledge about pa¬per art,

stucco art, gilded black lacquer painting, banana trunk carving, Nang Yai shadow puppet-making etc. At the back door of the temple on the opposite side is the small public park where the statue of “Sunthorn Phu” is located. Arriving at Phetchaburi by boat in 1845, this foremost poet disembarked around there and composed lyrical travel verses entitled “Nirat Phetchaburi”. Further on the same narrow road, visitors can stop off at the

wooden house of the late author Manas Chanyong and a private museum called “Baan Mitr Chaibuncha” displaying old photos, posters and 16-mm film rolls relating to this deceased male movie star. It seems that a calm and relaxed atmosphere prevails in this neighbourhood. By the side of the Klong Krachaeng lies the “Sombat Maenam Phet” Pier which means the treasure of the Phet chaburi River. This little museum displays earthenware and artefacts retrieved from the river bed, especially a collection of baked clay pots for palmyra palm sugar whose shape is used as pattern of civil servant cap. Further from the Wat Phlabphla Chai will be a favourite haunt of food-lovers.

Soi Talad Rimnam Community

As we realize, stepping even fleetingly into the middle of a market will paint us a picture in broad colourful brushstrokes. We will be tremendously impressed by a snapshot of the local people’s everyday lives, whether they can earn their living with ease or still feel some concern. Soi Talad Rimnam Community popularly referred to as “Talad Khao”, lying on the other bank of Klong Krachaeng opposite the Sunthorn Phu Park, was formerly a bustling and prosperous commercial quarter of Phetchaburi in the reign of King Rama V the Great. This narrow alley, bordered by rows of old houses and shops stretching along the market, occu¬pies a key role in providing all residents with a wide variety of goods ranging from furniture, clocks, student uniforms, toys, kitchenware to ecclesiastical articles. Among the town’s mouth-watering local

food stalls, Mae Orn’s Khaw Chae (rice in fragrant chilled water served with fried shrimp paste ball, fried sweet radish and sweet stir-fried fish, Rapeeporn’s Chinese cake and Nai Daeng’s noodle soup are heartily recommended. In addition, the Tangsawatdirat Family House established a community learning centre destined for exhibiting articles used in Thai-Chinese community and rare vintage photos. Recently, a creative project was launched to enhance the aesthetic appearance of Phetchaburi by inviting street artists to flaunt their talent for urban

graffiti. That is the reason why the Soi Talad Rimnam which is the dim empty space near Phra Chomklao Bridge was selected as venue for creation. The largest mural of this alley depicts King Rama IX The Great’s head and shoulders portrait at the entire back wall. It should also be claimed that cats are a recurring theme in several pieces of art because local illustrators owe their inspiration to numerous alley cats found in this community.

Wat Koh Community

As a main artery coursing through its east bank, the Petchaburi River got closely involved in spawning the 300-year Wat Koh Community which united people to live together in peace regardless of race and religion. All people arrived at the consensus that Wat Koh would become the vibrant centre of this multicultural community. In this community, most of the houses are sino-colonial-style architecture. The Koh Kaew Suttharam Temple, commonly known as “Wat Koh”, is hidden in an isolated tranquil corner of Phetchaburi. Its ordination hall or the Ubosot was built in the Ayutthaya style. The hall consists in the murals which are widely hailed as one of the masterpieces and still remain in fairly well-preserved state. An inscription

appearing on the wall indicates that its creation took place in 1734. Unlike the usual arrangement of the themes from the Lord Buddha’s lifestory, the front mural of the Ubosot depicts 3 mythical worlds as conceived in Buddhist cosmology whereas the back mural features the scene of the Lord Buddha subduing the Mara. The north and south murals also portray a series of pagodas and the Buddha in various postures, composed alternatively in rows, complemented by some outstanding images of foreign people like westerners and Persians in their national attire. Such murals painted with pigment powder convey great refinement and exquisite details. Owing to its balanced blend of Thai and Chinese cultures, this community boasts not only Buddhist temples, but also a Chinese charitable cantine called “Hak Sian Zian Tiung” founded in 1907, which was formerly the joss house much revered by the Hokkiens. Further in the heart of this quarter is situated a dessert shop owned by Kru Pranee whose ancestors were rice and palm sugar dealers in the reign of King Rama IV. She enjoys a long-standing reputation for 2 rare sweets called A-lua and Khaw Tu. In the same neighbourhood at No. 368 of the Panich Charoen Road, it is worth visiting Mrs. Nueng Faengseekham’s wooden house. As a guru goldsmith, her intricately carved gold patterns always stood out for their ancient craftsmanship. She was honoured as 2012 National Artist for craftsmanship of gold ornaments.