Three Pagodas Pass (Thai ด่านเจดีย์สามองค์, pronounced 'Darn Chedi Sam Ong') is a pass through the Bilauktaung Mountains on the border between Thailand and Myanmar, at an altitude of 282 metres. The pass links the town of Sangkhlaburi in the north of Kanchanaburi province, Thailand to the town of Pyathonzu in Myanmar. Sangkhla Buri is a district (Amphoe) in the Kanchanaburi Province in western Thailand. ... Kanchanaburi (Thai กาญจนบุรี) is the largest of the central provinces (changwat) of Thailand. ...

This pass has been the main land route into western Thailand since ancient times, and is believed be the point at which Buddhist teachings reached the country from India in the 3rd century. During the Ayutthaya period in Thai history (14th-18th centuries), the pass was the main invasion route for the Burmese, but was also occasionally used in the opposite direction by Thai armies. The three small, crumbling pagodas, or chedis, after which the pass is named, were probably built at the end of this period as a symbol of peace. They are now on the Thai side of the border. The term Buddha is a word in ancient Indian languages including Pāli and Sanskrit which means one who has awakened. It is derived from the verbal root budh, meaning to awaken or to be enlightened, and to comprehend. It is written in devanagari script as Hindi: and pronounced as... // Events The Sassanid dynasty of Persia launches a war to reconquer lost lands in the Roman east. ... The kingdom of Ayutthaya was a Thai kingdom that existed from the 1350 to 1767. ... This 14th-century statue from south India depicts the gods Shiva (on the left) and Uma (on the right}. It is housed in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. As a means of recording the passage of time, the 14th century was that century which lasted from 1301 to... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ...

During World War II, Japan built the infamous Death Railway through the pass. There is a plaque here to commemorate the Australian prisoners of war who (with many other Allied soldiers and Asian civilians) died as forced labourers during the building of the railway. World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrination, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons such as the atomic bomb. ... The Bridge over the river Kwai The Death Railway (known also as Burma Railway or Burma Thai Railway) was a railway built from Thailand to Burma (now Myanmar) by the Japanese during World War II to complete the route from Bangkok to Rangoon and support the Japanese occupation of Burma. ...

The area is home to a number of mountain peoples, including Karens, Mons and Burmese, who are unable or unwilling to obtain citizenship of either of the neighbouring countries. Since the end of World War II, there have been regular attempts by rebel armies to take control of the pass from Myanmar, with the Mon group in effective control until 1990, when Myanmar regained control. There are also occasional skirmishes between Karen and Mon rebel groups. Burman Karen man Burman Karen woman The Karen, also known in Thailand as the Yang or Kariang, are an ethnic group in Myanmar (Burma) and Thailand. ... The Mon are an ethnic group in Southeast Asia. ... This article is about the year. ...

Nowadays, the pass is popular with tourists who, subject to the occasional hostilities between the two countries, are allowed to obtain a one-day visa from the Thai side to visit Pyathonzu. Tourist attractions on the Burmese side include the locally made wooden furniture, jade carvings, and textiles.