Rating: 2.7/5 (20 votes)

Open Days: Daily (Outdoor Area)

Opening Hours: Recommended 08.00 – 17.30 (For Safety And Better Light – The Site Is In Open Fields, Avoid Visiting At Night)

 

Pa-Thom Survey Marker (Pattom Mut Lakthan Paendin) is one of Ayutthaya’s quietly fascinating “State History – King Rama V” destinations. It’s not a temple, not a palace, and not the kind of monument most people picture when they think of the old capital. Instead, it represents the beginning of Thailand’s modern mapping and land-survey system – a foundation that has shaped everyday life across the country right up to the present. This marker is widely referenced as one of the earliest origin markers used as a standard benchmark for surveying, building a control network, and producing cadastral map sheets used for land title deeds. It is commonly stated that the work began during King Chulalongkorn’s reign, around R.S. 123, at a time when Siam was accelerating reforms to modernize administration, finance, and land governance.

 

If you want the “Rama V statecraft” story to feel solid, think of it like this: in that era, land became a structural issue, not just a local one. Modernization wasn’t only about reorganizing ministries or negotiating with Western powers – it also meant building reliable “baseline data” for the country. Among the most crucial data were maps and standardized coordinates. Without a consistent coordinate system, boundaries cannot be defined clearly, land documentation cannot be issued systematically, and resources cannot be managed with clarity and fairness (or at least with far fewer disputes rooted in ambiguity). That’s why a simple marker can look small, yet carry real political and economic weight.

 

What makes the Pa-Thom marker in Ayutthaya especially memorable is where it was placed: in the middle of rice fields in Tha To Subdistrict, Maharat District, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province (Village No. 2 in local references). The image is almost a metaphor. A modern state does not begin only in formal halls – it begins with people going into the field, fixing a shared reference point to the ground, and then expanding a network of knowledge from that starting point. The location is also commonly described with geographic coordinates at approximately 14° 33′ 58.51″ N and 100° 30′ 36.78″ E, and it is referenced as an origin point used for surveying and mapping work associated with the former Ayutthaya Monthon region.

 

Picture the reality of that time: there was no GPS, no satellites, no digital maps. National mapping accuracy had to begin with a trusted reference point. A benchmark marker like this allows survey measurements to remain consistent across an entire system, rather than each team measuring by different assumptions until maps stop matching each other. In plain terms, without a shared “starting pin,” producing cadastral map sheets for land titling would be like assembling a single picture from puzzle pieces that came from different boxes.

 

That is exactly why the Pa-Thom Survey Marker is perfect for anyone who enjoys history through the lens of how the state functions (not only dates or royal names). It leads to one big question: “How does a modern state actually operate?” One of the clearest answers is that a modern state standardizes knowledge – then uses that standardization to create clearer, more consistent policy outcomes, whether for land boundaries, taxation, planning, or infrastructure development.

 

On-site, you won’t get the grand visual drama of prangs or chedis. What you get is something more subtle: the feeling of standing at a point that once anchored a shared technical reality for people producing maps and measurements across a wide region. According to commonly shared descriptions, this origin marker was used in mapping work across several provinces associated with the former Ayutthaya Monthon sphere such as Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Ang Thong, Sing Buri, Lopburi, Saraburi, Pathum Thani, and parts connected to the Thanyaburi area in older administrative contexts (noting that boundaries and administrative structures have changed over time).

 

If you’re into photography, visit in the morning or late afternoon. The open fields give your photos breathing room and make the marker stand out in a simple, honest way. If you like reading history on location, it helps to remember that R.S. 123 falls around the late 19th to early 20th century – a period when Siam was rapidly building multiple modern systems at once. Once that timeframe is in your head, it becomes easier to connect how a small marker in a rice field links to national-scale reforms.

 

Getting There The Pa-Thom Survey Marker is in Village No. 2, Tha To Subdistrict, Maharat District, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province – a rural area outside Ayutthaya’s island city zone. The easiest way to visit is by private car or taxi. Search your map for “Pa-Thom Survey Marker,” “Pattom Mut Lakthan Paendin,” or “ปฐมหมุดหลักฐานแผ่นดิน” and follow the real driving route, because the site sits in open fields and the final turns may vary depending on where you start. Go when the sun is not too harsh, bring drinking water and a hat, and be careful on wet or slippery ground during the rainy season.

 

To visit responsibly and respectfully, three quick notes: (1) Don’t park in a way that blocks farm access or local traffic. (2) Take photos, but keep the area neat – don’t climb or do anything that could damage the marker or surrounding features. (3) In rainy months, expect dirt paths and field edges, and choose a safe time window. This is a place you “read on the ground,” more than a site with staged displays.

 

 

A: It is an origin benchmark used as a standard reference for surveying, building a control network, and producing cadastral map sheets for land title deeds in Thailand, commonly described as beginning in King Rama V’s reign around R.S. 123.

 

A: It is in Village No. 2, Tha To Subdistrict, Maharat District, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya 13150, Thailand, in a rural rice-field area outside Ayutthaya’s island-city zone.

 

A: Because it reflects the modernization era when the state needed standardized data such as coordinates and maps to manage land, issue titles systematically, and strengthen modern governance.

 

A: Morning or late afternoon is best (roughly 08.00 – 17.30). The site is in open fields, the sun can be intense, and visiting after dark is not recommended.

 

A: Start with the question, “Why does a state need a shared reference point?” Then connect it to surveying networks, cadastral map sheets, and land titling. The marker becomes a clear symbol of how a modern system is built from the ground up.

 

A: You can contact the Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Provincial Land Office, Tha Ruea Branch at 035-341-816.