History
The
Beginning of Bangkok
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
defence. 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.
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