Phanthai Norasing Historical Park
Phanthai Norasing Historical Park is located in Phanthai Norasing Subdistrict, Samut Sakhon, around where the monument was established to commemorate Phanthai Norasing and the ‘broken prow’ incident took place.Phanthai Norasing came from Norasing village (now Amphoe Pa Mok of Ang Thong Province and served Somdet Phra Sanphet VIII (King Phrachao Suea) as a ‘Phanthai’ or helmsman of ‘Ekkachai’ Royal Barge in Ayutthaya period. At the time when the royal procession arrived at the meandering path of Khok Kham Canal, Phanthai Norasing could not manage to avoid crashing the prow into the tree branch in spite of his careful steering. The sentence of such negligence according to the ancient monarch law was decapitation. Instead of hesitation, Phanthai Norasing insisted on taking the penalty although the king was reluctance to execute his confidant. However, to protect the law, the king had no choice but ordering him to be beheaded; therefore, further command for a construction of a shrine as a tribute to Phanthai Norasing’s sacrifice for the sake of the sacred law.The park contains a nature trail route for visitors to admire the well conserved mangrove forest, the temple which was built later together with the shrine, and the shrine reconstructed by Fine Art Department. The same size sculpture of Phanthai Norasing poising in a barge steering position is enshrined inside. Villagers nearby usually give boxing gloves, oars, and chicken statuettes as offerings, following a belief that Phanthai Norasing like boxing and cockfight. The shrine also keeps the scaffold of the incident and the ruins of a barge which is assumed to be the remains of the royal procession or the army dispatch in the past. The barge is made of ‘Takian’ or White Thingan Hardwood and could be dated back more 300 years ago. The dimension of the vessel is 19.47 metres by length, 2.09 metres by width, 1 metre by height, and has 7.5-centimetre thick gunnels.By car, come via Rama II Road and turn into Soi Khang Wat Phanthai at Kilometre stone No. 16-17. The direction signs are easily seen along the way from then. Within the vicinity, there is also ‘Ho Phra’ or the House of Holy and Mae Si Nuan Shrine, which is a memorial for Phanthai Norasing’s wife awaiting to be visited.
