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- Bangkok Name - Wat Suthatthepwararam
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Bangkok's Name - Wat Suthatthepwararam
Strolling along the King River, at Taksin BTS station, I saw modern and high buildings on the River's both sides. The roof’s architectural style of some buildings tells me that I am in the Eastern World. I find particularly stunning the way how these building were built. I mean, on these building I see a synthesis between both Western and Eastern styles; It looks like someone dressing smarter! This
last subjective point of view remembers me that Bangkok currently is
not only one of the largest cities in Southeast Asia -living roughly 10
million people- but also a cosmopolitan and very modern city. Besides, due to its many canals Bangkok is well known by Western people as the “Venice of the East”.
On future posts I will talk about how and when these canals were dug. I am planning to make a tour along some canals and take some pictures. But what I want to talk about is on the brief story of Bangkok’s name.Bangkok was founded in 1782 by King Rama I (named Phra Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke). It situates on the Great Chao Phraya River Delta which flows from the North down to the Gulf of Thailand. Thais will never call their capital city Bangkok – This city in Thai is known as Krung Thep (กรุงเทพ), which roughly translates to 'City of Angels'. This name is still used among the Thais today as always, while the foreigners know Krung Thep as Bangkok.Well, let’s take a look back on the history. Since
the destruction of the Thai Kingdom’s old capital Ayutthaya near
Thonburi, which was then Siam, the new city which is where Bangkok now
stands has changed its name four times. The then King Rama I built this
new city on the opposite bank of the Menam River to the old city. This
new capital, off the Chao Phraya River, was not but a small village;
however, two years later it was renamed, Rattanakosin in 1787. During
the reign of King Rama III, the name was altered again to what it is
now, but barely ever uttered. The name that King Rama III granted for the new capital of Thailand, is the city’s present name.
The
King Rama I gave a very long name to the capital, i.e. Krung Thep
Mahanakhon Bowon Rattanakosin Mahinthrayutthaya Mahadilokphop Noppharat
Ratchathani Burirom Udom Ratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Phiman Awatan
Sathit Sakkathatiya Witsanukam Prasit. (Later, King Rama IV (1851-1868)
changed the word "Bowon" in the full name into "Amon".) This long name
is still a world record, though in normal usage it is shortened to
"Krung Thep". In English this long phrase (name) means: “The
City of Gods, the Great City, the Residence of the Emerald Buddha, the
Impregnable City (of Ayutthaya) of God Indra, the grand capital of the
world endowed with nine precious gems, the happy city, abounding in an
enormous Royal Palace which resembles the heavenly abode where reigns
the reincarnated god, a city given by Indra and built by Vishnukarn.”In
the early Rattanakosin period (1782-1851), Bangkok remained a quiet
place. It was covered with lush vegetation and had waterways as its
chief routes of transportation. The capital underwent some development
based on Western models in the reign of King Rama IV who ordered road
building, canal digging, ship building, and a reorganization of the Thai
army and administration. The great reform occurred in the reign of King
Rama V (1868-1910) who brought the nation into modernization. In 1932, a
revolution was staged and the political system was changed into
constitutional monarchy. Bangkok on the east bank known as Krung Thep or
Phra Nakhon became a province and Thon Buri on the west bank became
another province. In 1971, the two provinces were merged under the name
of Nakhon Luang Krung Thon Buri or Bangkok-Thon Buri Metropolis. One
year later, the form of local government in the metropolis was
reorganized and the province obtained a new name as Krung Thep Maha
Nakhon or popularly called Krung Thep for short.
The word -Bangkok is derived from two primitive Thai
words, i.e. "Bang" means Village and "Kok" means Olive, thus its
original meaning is "Village of Olive". In the olden days, Bangkok was just a small agricultural and fishing village where people traveled mainly by rowing boats. After
reading this brief story, standing up on the King River close to Taksin
Bridge, I could imagine for a while that these high buildings were tall
strong green trees and that the sound of the traffic was the sound of
wild animals, yes, I am a wander, a pathfinder!