Bangkok Tours • Introduction & History • Festivals & Holidays

  
Introduction
Bangkok is known to the Thais as "Krungthep" which means the City of Angels. It was established as the capital of Thailand in 1782 by King Rama I. Over the past two centuries, Bangkok has developed into a renown modern metropolis with a population of over nine millions. Bangkok is the largest city in Thailand, as well as being it's capital and main port.  It is the cultural, educational, political and economic center of Thailand, as well as being the only metropolis. 
 
Bangkok has grown and expanded to include the area Thon Buri, which had at one point been the capital of Siam, and the combined area is commonly known as Krung Thep Mahanakhon.  The area of Bangkok, including Thon Buri and other provinces, is just over 1,568 square kilometers.

Bangkok has impressed visitors from around the globe with its unique beauty of contrast. Like other modern cities Bangkok boasts lots of massive skyscrapers including sophisticated office buildings, luxurious hotels and accommodations, shopping centers, and a modern international airport. However, traditional Thai culture has never lost its charm in the midst of Bangkok's fast growing urbanization and busy life style. Bangkok is a city where East and West, the ancient and the modern, stay side by side. Its surface has taken on the look of the present time, while underneath the old ways are much alive in Thais' everyday life. Thus, Bangkok is always a wonderful place for a glimpse of traditional arts, architecture, religion, and other aspects of the culture of the Thai people.

Most residents of Thailand are native Thais, although there is an influx of Chinese immigrants as well as Indians, Arabs, Malays and Europeans. Most Thais are welcoming and friendly to visitors to Bangkok, as it is one of the most highly visited cities in Southeast Asia.  In addition, Bangkok has an important influence on Southeast Asia's industrial and financial sectors.

 
History
King Rama1
Bangkok’s history of the past 200 years is interwoven with the Chakri dynasty, which still reigns but no longer rules Thailand today. After Chao Phaya Chakri was crowned under the royal title of Rama I in 1782, one of his first major decisions concerned his capital. It is often said that Rama I founded Bangkok as his capital while before the capital had been Thonburi. However, in this abbreviated form, history is summarized not very accurately. First of all, Bangkok was not really founded by Rama I. It had been a settled area for several hundred years already and it had even been well known to European merchants who commonly stopped over at Bangkok on their way to Ayuthaya.

Second, the sharp demarcation between Thonburi and Bangkok is not justified. While European merchants stuck to the name of Bangkok for their place of stopover, the community left and right of the Chao Phaya River was known to the Siamese as the town of Thonburi, having been elevated from the village status of Bangkok King Taksin chose Thonburi as his capital. While it is true that King Taksin had erected his palace and all major buildings on the right bank of the Chao Phaya River, the city of Thonburi settled areas on both banks.

King Taksin’s rationale had been to have the river flowing through the capital as he feared another Burmese attack after Ayuthaya had been leveled by Burmese armies in 1767; in the case of a new attack he wanted to have an easy escape option. This option was maintained by having the river flowing through, not just alongside the capital. His idea was that he could embark his people and troops then make a getaway on the Chao Phaya. The destination would have been his old stronghold of Chantaburi on the east coast, close to what is now Cambodia.

On the other hand, when Chao Phaya Chakri became King of Siam, the Burmese threat was no longer as eminent as before; Siam was again a strong power, on equal footing with the Burmese. Rama I, didn’t think in terms of easy escape routes anymore, but in terms of strong defense. He had no intention of vacating his capital, should the Burmese march on it - he wanted to defend it by all means. For this purpose, a river flowing through the capital was a disadvantage as it would be difficult to secure. Therefore, he decided to neglect the western, larger side of what had been Thonburi, instead concentrating everything important on the eastern side. This of course included his own palace.

To make space for his palace where it is still located, a large settlement on the eastern side of Thonburi had to be razed. At the end of the 18th century, Chinese inhabitants had chiefly occupied the present palace area. Chao Phaya Chakri had the whole Chinese community transferred some three kilometers downstream, to an area then known as Sampheng. The Chinese still live in that area, and Sampheng Lane now is a famous Chinese shopping area.

Work on the Grand Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha was by and large completed in 1785. The new capital, now more or less just covering the area on the eastern side of the Chao Phaya was inaugurated under the new name "Krung Thep Maha Nakhon Amorn Rattanakosindra Mahindrayutthaya Mahadilokpop Noparattana Radchhani Burirom Udom Rachnivet Mahastan Amorn Pimarn Avatarn Satit Sakatuttiya Vishnukarm Prasit.

In English: "City of Angels", Great City and Residence of the Emerald Buddha, Impregnable City of God Indra, Grand Capital of the World, Endowed with Nine Precious Gems, Abounding in Enormous Royal Palaces which Resemble the Heavenly Abode where Reigns the Reincarnated God, a City given by Indra and Built by Vishnukarm". For convenience, it is the custom to abbreviate the name to Krung Thep. And for their further convenience, Westerners continue to call the place Bangkok.

 
 

Bangkok Tours • Introduction & History • Festivals & Holidays