………Krung Thep Maha Nakorn as Thai people call it, or Bangkok as the rest of us know it, was founded by King Rama І. Searching for the most suitable place to house a grand city, this patron of the Chakri lineage move his capital to the eastern banks of the Chao Praya River from Thonburi. He then ordered the erection of a new city pillar, or the Sao Lak Meaung, on April 21, 1782. In close proximity to the site where the Grand Palace would sit, the completion of this structure signified construction for the remainder of the city could commence.
Later the official and extremely long name for the city was bestowed: Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Yuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Rattanakosin Mahinthara Yuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Phiman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit. It roughly translates as follows: the great city of angels, the supreme unconquerable land of the grand royal palaces, a divine paradise for the reincarnated deity (Vishu), given by Indra and created by the god.
So…why the name Bangkok? There are two assumptions:
1) the “bang”/district was bordered by a winding riverbank or “kok” and
2) indigenous to the region were lots of ma’kok’ , a species of plum tree that grows alive-shaped fruits. In all honesty, historians still don’t know the definitive origins of the name Bangkok.
What we do know is people here have always been integrally connected to water. Once just a small part, all that changed when Ayutthaya (the then capital of Thailand) started funneling its trade southwards: Foreign warehouses and new communities sprang up as taxes and shipping fees were levied and collected here. Even though the city adopted the name “New Amsterdam” at one point, resident kept calling it Bangkok and the name took hold.
Later, in the era of King Rama V, a greater city was planned based on the Western cities he himself visited. New boulevards were designed, canals were dug: the layout was impressive enough that in the salons of Europe people praised Bangkok as an Asian city of noteworthy acclaim.
Recently Bangkok celebrated her 227th birthday and each day she becomes more and more the heartbeat of Thai life Typically the fist stop for tourist to Thailand (and the greater region at large), Bangkok is the city to showcase fashion, culture, politics, finance and trade for the rest of the country.
Bangkok and old Thonburi encompass 1,568,737 square kilometers on both sides of the Chao Praya River. The metropolis is filled with old communities and teeming with fascinating locals. Moreover, the entire area is packed with unique food offerings (street vendors, floating and open air markets), creative shops, cutting-edge mails, skyscrapers, trendy urbanites, temples, palaces, museums and other cultural and historical sites. The city has a touch of green too: parks, rivers, canals, and, for those willing to venture a little outside of the downtown area, the sea.
No wonder Travel + Leisure magazine awarded Bangkok “World’s Best City” for 2008. Those of us calling Bangkok home didn’t need the validation but it helps us remember why it’s our favorite place to hang out.
