Three Pagodas Pass 
Kanchanaburi Province, Thailand

           Three Pagodas Pass, had been known as Three Plies of Rocks, is a pass of Thailand - Myanmar border on Tenasserim Mountain Range and also be a popular sacred place for tourists. Currently, not only be a border of Thailand - Myanmar but Three Pagodas Pass also has a market for trading some of important goods. 

Three Pagodas

           Three Pagodas Pass has located on Tambon Nong Lu which is the border of western part in Thailand and it is far about 215 kilometers away from Kanchanaburi province. There are threes of pagodas that have located linearly with the height of 6 meters for each pagoda and 5-6 meters far from one another. The base of pagodas are in the shape of octagon and become a round shape with a pointy tip on the upper part. They are all white. In the past, there were only the rocks which the villagers put them on ground for praying before traveling to Myanmar. As time passed, the rocks became a pile of rocks. In 1929, Phra-chao Sri Suwankhiri, the governor of Sangkhlaburi at a time, gathered the villagers to build the pagodas from the piles of rocks to be three pagodas  which are  the symbol of a pass border at the present.

 
Three Pagodas

           Some believed that in the 3^rd century, there was an indian monk passed this route to reach Thailand for teaching buddhist.  Also, the pass was the main strategic point for uncountable invasion between Thai and Myanmar during the Ayutthaya period such as Elephant Duel of King Naresuan and Nine Arimies’ Wars during the Chakri dynasty of resurgent Siam period. King Mongkut ( Phra Bat Somdet Phra Poramenthra Maha Mongkut Phra Chom Klao Chao Yu Hua) had ordered to enshrine Phra Siam Thewathirat graven image with the thought that Thailand had  been through a lot of crisis without being a colony, there might be some god taking care of us. Therefore, the king had approved the royal craftsman, Phra Ong Chao Pradit  Worakan, to create an artistic golden standing graven image with the height of 8 inches which was suitable to worship.

 
Phra Siam Thewathirat

           The tourists who arrive Three Pagodas Pass can find several kinds of souvenirs from the shops around the pass. You can find a jewelry likesgem and jade, or wooden furniture, including a local skincare as Tanaka powder from Myanmar vendors. Moreover, the tourists are allowed 1 day pass to get inside Myanmar because there is an immigration of Sangkhlaburi at Three Pagodas Pass  which allows people from both countries traveling to each other without using passport. You can show the ID card and ask for the pass ticket then pay only 30 baht for a fee and pay 50 baht more if you would like to take a car to Myanmar. However, the tourists have still not allowed to stay overnight, so you have to comeback before 6.00 P.M. Meanwhile, Myanmar citizen who work in Thailand must go back before 6.00 P.M. which is the pass closing time.

The Immigration Office

           If you would like to travel at Three Pagodas Pass, you can easily find the location which is located on Tambon Nong Lu, Um phor Sangkhlaburi, in Kanchanaburi.