Three Pagodas Pass

File:Three Pagodas.jpg

The Three Pagodas

Three Pagodas Pass (Phlone Template:Lang; Template:Langx, Paya Thon Zu Taung Za Lang, Template:IPA; Template:Langx, Template:RTGS, Template:IPA) is a pass in the Tenasserim Hills on the border between Thailand and Myanmar (Burma), at an elevation of Template:Convert. The pass links the town of Nong Lu in the north of Kanchanaburi Province, Thailand, to the town of Payathonzu in the south of Kayin State, Myanmar.

Etymology

The pass is named after three small, crumbling stupas or chedis which were probably built at the end of Ayutthaya period as a symbol of peace. The pagodas are now on the Thai side of the border in the village of Phra Chedi Sam Ong.<ref name="dispute"/><ref name="fight2021"/> Parts of the border are still disputed.<ref name="dispute">Thailand Highlight</ref> These three chedis appear in the provincial seal of Kanchanaburi Province in stylized form.<ref>Seals of The Provinces of Thailand</ref> The pass gives its name to the Three Pagodas Fault.

History

The pass has been the main land route into western Thailand since ancient times. It is one of the few passes in the Tenasserim Hills.

The pass is named after three pagodas erected in 1929 by Phra Sri Suwan Khiri, the ruler of Sangkhla Buri, with the assistance of local villagers, and has reputedly served as a route for Indian monks in the 3rd century to disseminate Buddhism in Thailand.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

During the Ayutthaya period in Thai history (14th–18th centuries), the pass was the main invasion route for the Burmese, but at times was also used against them by Siamese armies. The first Burmese invasion through the pass occurred in 1548 during the Burmese–Siamese War (1547–1549).<ref name="Damrong">Rajanubhab, D., 2001, Our Wars With the Burmese, Bangkok: White Lotus Co. Ltd., Template:ISBN</ref>Template:Rp

During World War II, Japan built the infamous Death Railway (officially Taimen – Rensetsu Tetsudo) through the pass. There is a memorial to commemorate the thousands of British, Australian, Dutch and American prisoners of war, and Asian forced labourers who died during the construction of the railway.<ref name="asien">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web[sic]</ref>

The region is home to several hill tribes, including Karens and Mons, who are unable or unwilling to obtain citizenship from either country. Separatist armies have repeatedly tried to seize the pass from Myanmar, with the Mons in effective control until 1990, when Burmese troops regained it.<ref name="interpret">Template:Cite web</ref> There is still occasional fighting in the area.<ref name="fight2021">Template:Cite news</ref>

Tourism

Three Pagodas Pass is popular with tourists, who are allowed to obtain a one-day visa from the Thai side to visit Payathonsu. Attractions on the Burmese side include wooden furniture, jade carvings, and textiles. Thai tourists are allowed in as of 2011, while other tourists are not, due to its status as a temporary border checkpoint which only allows day trips between the two neighbouring countries.<ref>List of Temporary and Permanent Border Checkpoint in Thailand, Foreign Affairs Division Office of the Permanent Secretary for Interior (Thai)</ref><ref>Senator Committee on Temporary and Permanent Boundary Checkpoints</ref>

Festivals

With the rambling strutting roosters of the Buddhist temple of Wat Suwankhiri<ref>Lonely Planet Thailand - Wat Suwankhiri </ref> on a Payathonsu cliff near by, during April, Three Pagodas Pass becomes a site of the Songkran Festival with cockfights, Burmese kickboxing and various folk dancing.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

External links

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• Thailand By Train: Kanchanaburi and the River Kwai
• Thailand Travel Guide for Kanchanaburi