Thread: Memory Lane (In my own language)

Originally Posted by qwerty

If I recall correctly, this is where King Rama IV was bitten by a mosquito and later died of Malaria. He was an amateur astronomer and had predicted that this would be the best place to view an upcoming eclipse. He made a special trip out here with his court, but fell ill and died soon afterwards.

K.HuangLao was right. The 2 provinces are connected to each other as shown here:




As for him being "an amateur astronomer" I seriously doubt. What those farang astronomers mentioned about his work is shown here...


A total solar eclipse occurred on August 18, 1868, also known as "The King of Siam's eclipse"




King Mongkut (Rama IV) was able to calculate and predict the solar eclipse two years earlier. The calculations were correct as to the place, the time and the type of the solar eclipse that would happen.

The eclipse took place at Tumbon Wakoh, Prachuab Keereekun Province, precisely as the King had predicted. The total phase lasted 6 minutes and 46 seconds.

In fact, his calculations were better — by about two seconds — than those of the French astronomers, who acknowledged his accuracy.

Unfortunately, at the time over there the King was exposed to malaria then developed chills and fever. He died on October 1, 1868.

According to the Thai Astronomical Society and NASA, this eclipse is known as "The King of Siam's eclipse".



(King Mongkut and party viewing a solar eclipse on the 18 August 1868. The King is seen seated at the center in the middle of the pavilion, Sir Harry Ord (Governor of the Straits Settlements at Singapore) and the British party stand around, included are royal officials kneeling.)

Computer colored versions of B&W photographs

Princesses born from King Rama V’s cousin with his commoner wife (circa 1907)




Uniform of the high ranking officers of Wung (= palace) Ministry (known today as the Bureau of the Royal Household) in the reign of King Rama V (circa 1902)




Some of King Rama V’s important sons including the first crown prince (the eldest one holding his cousin, Prince Chakrapong Puwanad (his story told in the miniseries)) and the second crown prince (left), the future King Rama VI; both (the two crown princes ) were from different mothers (who were siblings).




King Rama V when being a teenager (middle) with his younger brothers from the same mother (Queen Consort); (1868)




King Rama V in his monkhood (1873)

Kuman Tong/Loog Krok

Kuman Tong/Loog Krok is a household divinity of Thai folk religion. It is believed to bring luck and fortune to the owner if properly revered.

Kuman (= sanctified young boy) Tong (= golden)/Loog (= offspring) Krok (= dry)

Generally, the difference between these two is Kuman Tong is obtained from a baby boy who dies after being born while Loog Krok is a still born baby boy in its mother’s womb.

The authentic of these two originated in a practice of necromancy. The witch doctors were said to have the power to invoke these two and adopt them as their children. Then use them to help in their endeavors. However, they can make these two by order for high price in exchange, in black market of course.

According to ancient Thai manuscripts used by practitioners of black magic, first, the dead baby (Kuman Tong) or unborn fetus being surgically removed from the womb of its mother (Loog Krok) will be taken to a cemetery for the conduction of the proper ritual to invoke a Kuman Tong/Loog Krok.

The body will be roasted until dry whilst the witch doctor would chant incantations of magical script. Once the rite is completed, the dry-roasted baby will be painted with a kind of lacquer then covered another layer with gold leaf.

However, this method is much less common at present because it becomes widely ethically inappropriate so another option is considered, creating a small statue of a boy dressed in ancient Thai costume. The statue can be made of soil gathering from cemeteries (usually 7) or carved out of some certain kind of woods or even metal.

Once obtaining a Kuman Tong/Loog Krok, the owner will take care like taking care of a real boy. Meals, juice especially red juice, toys and etc. will be provided without fail.

If all goes well, the Kuman Tong/Loog Krok can be benevolent. He will give protection, bringing fortune from business or warning when danger approaches but if something goes wrong such as neglecting of provision said above, he can become a great nuisance.

Note: The veneration of Kuman Tong/Loog Krok though popular in Thailand, the practice is highly condemned by mainstream Buddhist practitioners to especially Buddhist monks who act as necromancers performing such evil magic.

Kuman Tong




Loog Krok

An advertisement of manufacturing tiles in the reign of King Rama V (not the layout design!)




The photo of the first concrete road in Bangkok, Chakpet Road (closed to the Memorial Bridge); circa 1930s




It seems Golden Mount was photogenic in those photographers’ eyes. This one was shot in, circa, 1888.

A tale from little birds...


Princess Ying Yaowarak (1852-1886) was King Mongkut (Rama IV)'s one of the eldest and the most beloved daughters. She was one of the very few royalties who was assigned to have education with Anna Leonowens and gained her favourite.

All the three eldest daughters of King Mongkut’s which included Princess Ying, though still young but, gained trustworthiness to be allowed to officially help him welcome noble guests.

Once Sir Harry Ord, a British colonial administrator who was once assigned by the Colony to deal the affair with the Malay Sates, paid King Rama IV a visit and saw those 3 young Princesses welcoming guests, he noted on his memo that:

“...The three eldest daughters of the King’s all possessed the royalty’s gracefulness. Their English was very good but it was a pity that they all dyed their teeth black from chewing betel quid which was according to Siamese tradition…”

Princess Ying Yaowarak was the only one daughter who stayed with her father until his last breath.

She was also King Chulalongkorn (Rama V)'s elder sister though from a different mother.

The Princess had done the most scandalous action that disgraced the Siamese Dynasty in that time.

During that period, the Royal Household (the Wung Ministry) would invite a group of Buddhist monks from wats around Bangkok to come, regularly, inside the Royal Palace and perform chats/sermons at Wat Pra Kaew.

Princess Ying was the one who was never absent from this noble ritual. One day at her bloom of youth, at one of her Buddhist ritual attendances as usual, she met a new young monk and suddenly felt attracted.

One thing led to another. A love affair occurred and finally Princess Ying was pregnant.


“Wait, wait… You skipped a part”

What part?

“The ‘fu….'”

Tut… tut…

“What? … Oh, sorry. The ‘sexual intercourse’ part I mean’”

What about?

“At the time that the two were performing it, the man had already left his monkhood. So even though he was absolutely guilty but religiously, he was not considered blasphemic. He had left for quite some time and stayed at a place where the Princess rented it for him. The place where they did it was at the Princess’s inside the Royal Palace. He disguised himself as a woman.”

Okay, thanks for the remark. Since you have already told them, I will continue.


Because no secrets existed in the world, the news spread around and one day, far into the Palace and hit King Rama V’s ears.

The King was so much angry for this was a matter of extreme disgrace to the Royal Family. A female of high-ranking royalty had an affair with a male commoner and the incident happened inside the Palace.

After the discreet investigation, the King’s verdict was to have the Princess and the once a monk including the Princess’s personal maid who was involved whipped for 90 times before executed by decapitation. As for the Princess, her royal tile was stripped of and also her royal insignia was forfeited.

But later on after the anger subsided, the King remembered how his half-sister, the Princess, was dearly to his father, King Rama IV. Also he remembered that his father, once long time ago, called him in and told him that “In the future after you take the throne there will be a time when one of your sisters did something immensely wrong, spare her life”.

That softened his heart and he changed the Princess’ verdict to have her royal title stripped of and also her royal insignia was forfeited. Her maid was whipped for 90 times and both were grounded in the innermost area of the Royal Palace.

Ying died there as a commoner at the age of 34. No one knew the future of her ‘son’ who was taken away as soon as he was born.

From that scandal, the Royal Household rearranged some of the royal rules by stating that the group of monks coming to chant/sermon inside the Royal Palace had to be over 45 years of age and also the female royalties who attended the ritual had to be over 40 years of age.

Somewhere, some time in Bangkok

Klong Bangkok Yai; 30s




WWII; 40s




Silom; 50s




Us and 'Buff'; 50s




Tang Chang Wat; 60s




Daily life; 1890s & 1970s

Originally Posted by Shutree

Is Wat Cheng the same as Wat Arun?

Yes, it’s the same. Wat Cheng is the original name having been called among the local since the beginning.

It was an ancient Wat built since the period of Ayuthaya Kingdom.

In the reign of King Rama II of Ratanakosin Kingdom, the Wat was renovated and given the official name as Wat Arun Rachataram.

King Rama III added the giant “prang (kind of stupa)” which has become the signature of the Wat.

King Rama IV gave it a big renovation and changed the name to Wat Arun Rachawararam (… and more …).

Because of the long name, people cut it short to just Wat Arun.

So, the Wat has two names.

Note: Come to think of it, this Thai word ‘cheng’ as in Wat Cheng, for accurate Thai pronunciation, should be written as “chaeng”.

However, the word ‘cheng’ as in Wat Cheng and the word ‘arun’ as in Wat Arun (again, should be written as ‘arune’), both, on a certain occasion, mean the same, ‘dawn / daybreak … sort of’.

So, King Rama II changing the name of this Wat from Wat Cheng to Wat Arun, he just changed only the words. The meaning stayed the same.

The incredible economic expansion which happened due to Siam opening its door to farang in the west that had started since the reign of King Rama IV and boomed in the reign of King Rama V had caused the shortage of money circulation.

The government had continued to explore several avenues to tackle the shortage of money so as to be able to provide sufficient money supply.

So, it considered issuing paper money and announced it to be money of the country replacing money issued by commercial banks.

In 1890, the government prepared to issue the paper money called Ngoen (= money) Kradat (= paper) Luang (= royal) or Treasury Notes by placing an order with the Giesecke & Devrient, Germany. There were 8 denominations in various colors and sizes.

The currency shown in 6 languages: Siam, English, Chinese, Arab Melayu, Laotian and Khmer.










Unfortunately, these notes were never put into circulation because only 1 day (in 1893) before the official announcement, the Franco-Siamese War caused by the conflict between the French Third Republic and the Kingdom of Siam occurred.

Venice of the East…

Of all the great floods that happened in the history of Ratanakosin Kingdom, 1942 is said to be the 7^th.

The flood started first from the northern part of Siam. It reached Bangkok in late September. The level of water in some places rose up to over 2 meters.

Though around that time, Siam was in the middle of WWII but its people seemed not care much. They spent their daily life merrily because they were in the “Land of smiles”.

The level of the flood began to fall in the end of October and completely dried in November, just in time for the cold weather.


(Sala Chalerm Krung or Chaloem Krung Theater, the first modern movie theater in Bangkok built in 1933, the reign of King Rama VII)



(Ministry of Public Health (Thai letters spelt in old style))



(Criminal Court, old location)



(The statue of King Rama I at Memorial Bridge)



(Grand Palace)



(Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall on Royal Plaza)



(Rachadamnern Road)



(Democracy Monument)



(Somewhere out there)

San Pra Poom (Deity Shrine) in a nutshell

A deity shrine is a small building built in Thai style which mounts on a platform which itself sits on a pillar. They can vary in styles and range in sizes from small ones to big shrines large enough for a size of human being to enter.

The reason to build a deity shrine is to offer a deity a shelter so he/she can reside there and give protection to the area where a construction (building, house) is located.

The location of a shrine is chosen after the consultation with a Brahman priest. Inside a shrine, regularly, contains an image or a carved statue of deity in human form sometimes with more statues, of human beings and animals, that represent his/her subjects. Various decorations and elaborate installations of each shrine are up to the opinion of each owner of that shrine.

Offering for the deity is common; food and drink. According to Brahman ritual, any menus of food made of pork are not allowed. Incense sticks, candles and fancy garlands are also used for worshiping.

At the same time, negligence or lack of proper procedures of such said worship could cause problems for the people who reside in that building.

The Kingdom of Toneburi was established after the downfall of the Ayuttaya Kingdom by the Burmese invaders. Historians estimated that it took them 15 days to burn down everything, starting from the Royal Palace, to the ground.

Among the Siamese that scattered away, Sin, a nobleman of Chinese descent and a capable military leader, was able to retake Siam from the Burmese for only seven months after the fall.

Ayuttaya, the capital of Siamese authority for hundreds of years, was so devastated that it could not be used as a government center. Sin, then, founded a new city of Krung Toneburi Sri Mahasamut on the west bank of the Chao Praya River. After finished, he crowned himself in late 1767 as King Taksin (1734-1782) and tried to salvage Siam back to its glory once more.




Unfortunately for in 1782, He was taken in a coup d'tat and executed and succeeded by his long-time friend named originally as Tong Duang who later abandoned the Toneburi Kingdom and found the Ratanakosin Kingdom.

He, also, moved his capital across the Chao Praya River to the east side to the village named "Bang-Koh" or "Bang-Kok"

(while some say "Bang-Koh for it means "place (= bang) of the island (= koh)", some others say that it should read "Bang-Kok" for at the time the place were full of olive trees (=ma kok)).

This capital, however, was named Bangkok. After finished, he sat on the throne as King Praputayodfa Chulalok or King Rama I, the first king of the Chakri Dynasty and ruled Siam ever since.

Krung Toneburi Sri Mahasamut remained as Toneburi, a city, and later, a province, until it was merged into Bangkok in 1971.

In recognition for what King Taksin did for the Siamese, he was later praised with the title of Maharaj (The Great).

Thus Krung Toneburi Sri Mahasamut had been the capital of Siam/Thailand for only 15 years.


(The statue of King Taksin the Great at Wongwian Yai, Toneburi)



(Pra Ratchawang Derm (= old palace), the Royal Palace of King Taksin, now used as the Royal Thai Navy's HQ)



(Siam in the reign of King Taksin the Great)

The execution of the high ranking Thai royalty in the ancient time

Researchers found that, in the ancient time, there were various kinds of executing high ranking royalty such as kings, queens, their off springs, close relatives and etc. or those from former dynasty, different royal bloods and etc. who were convicted mostly of political matters.

The most mentioned style of all was to put him or her in a red sack and, in some occasion, hung above the ground from a tree.

A sandalwood cudgel was used to hit upon the neck or stomach for a number of times until the convict was dead. The body together with the sandalwood cudgel then was put in a hole in the ground and guarded for 7 days to make sure that he or she was really dead.

This kind of execution was highly regarded as being sacred and honored. It was performed in Thai history known far back since the Ayuttaya period to the initial period of Rattanakosin (around late 1300s - early 1900s).

In 1881, the execution has officially been abolished by the first Criminal Code of Thailand promulgated by King Chulalongkorn (King Rama V).

A renowned Thai academician gave an opinion that:

"I don't know how to translate this magnificently elegant ceremony of executing royalty into any foreign languages.

In English there exists a term derived from Latin, 'regicide', the literal meaning of which is an act of killing a monarch. The foreigner uses this word in such direct meaning, namely, knifing a monarch to death as being on a par with an act of Macbeth, or decapitating a monarch with guillotine which is not a royal guillotine as it can be used for every kinds of person from prostitute to royalty.

Therefore, the Thai style of executing a monarch can daze and dumbfound foreigners (and some Thai people who do not understand the Thai history).”

However, there exists in Section 176 of the Palace Laws under the Three Seals Law, King Praputtayodfa Chulalok (King Rama I; 1737 – 1809)’s Revision Edition, that:

If capital punishment imposed on a person of royal blood, he or she shall be delivered to Inner titled Nai Waeng to be put to death at "Koak Praya (The name of an ancient Wat believed to be located near the Golden Mount)" .

In the execution, Nai Waeng shall sit behind Khun Dap, the Grand Officer who shall preside over such execution. Muean Taluang Fan shall ceremonially pay homage three times then hit the prisoner with a sandalwood cudgel. The deceased will be buried in the cavity.

Upon the execution, a cushion shall be placed under the prisoner to protect his or her blood, if there is any, from falling on the ground as it is considered too noble to be mingled with dirt.

Any Nai Waeng or Muean Taluang Fan seizing royal apparels or golden rings (of the buried, deceased prisoners) shall be liable to capital punishment.



(A sandalwood cudgel)



(Believed to be the ruin of Wat Koak Praya)


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A tale from little birds

“I don’t think it’s a good idea. It will create controversies”

“It’s already been. Come on, it’s fun. Probably none of your readers knows it”


For 7 months after the Ayuttaya Kingdom was destroyed and Siam was taken over by Burma, Nai Sin (known in the future as King Taksin the Great of the Thonburi Kingdom) along with his best friend Nai Tong Duang (known in the future as King Rama I, the first reign of the Chakri Dynasty of the Ratanakosin Kingdom) led their people liberating their land from the Burmese in 1767.

At that time, Siam …


“Let us interrupt a little bit: It actually is not conclusive about what we called ourselves back then for the word “Siam” has just been official since the reign of King Rama IV… Okay, continue”


… was in deep shit. Everything focusing on the capital, Krung Sri Ayuttaya, was ransacked and demolished. It was beyond renovation.

The 2 buddies, then, abandoning the ruins, gathered their people and moved down south. They stopped at a deserted city which sited on the west bank of the Chao Praya River.

Judging it a good area, they decided to build the new capital there.

To make long story short, when all was done (‘would do’ to be precise), everyone needed a king and Nai Sin was elected as the new king named King Taksin (the ‘the Great’ was much later added) and the newly built capital was named “Krung Thonburi Srimahasamut” or “Krung Thonburi” for short or known today as “Thonburi District”.


King Taksin’s coronation


His best buddy, Nai Tong Duang was elevated as the King’s right hand with a noble title (omitted as usual but I will just mention him as Nai Tong Duang, his original name).

Back when they were trying to build the new kingdom (yes, focusing on the capital) on a deserted land, it required a lot starting from manpower, materials and everything including the most important factor ‘money’.

Since they were so damn poor, the very possible thing to acquire it was to borrow from someone. And someone at that time was their loaded friend, China.

When problems were arranged, the construction began. It was very hard time because they did not just ‘build these and those’ smoothly. They had to prepare themselves to be ever ready for the upcoming wars from every direction. Those ‘hungry neighbors’ who, after hearing, deemed them weak like a larva, would take an opportunity to invade and take the land.


King Taksin’s Thonburi Kingdom


Finally when the new kingdom was established, it was time to focus on paying back. Since the amount was immensely plus interest through time, they saw no future when the payback would be over.


Now, all told above was the real situation. The following was told among our good old little birds. You might never hear it before.


After thinking about the solution thoroughly, King Taksin privately called in Nai Tong Duang, his most trusted right hand.

It was at night. Back then there was no electricity which was the source of everything, so, it was dark and quiet.


“Except sounds from crickets, cicadas and etc.”


Nai Tong Duang wondered why he was privately called for before the King in the middle of the night which did not look good if this scene was spread around.




Before entering the Palace’s threshold, he stripped off his swords, which was normal practice for every soldier at the time of wars, and placed them outside. Then, on his four, he crawled inside and stopped humbly before his beloved friend, the King.


“Good job, Nong!”


The two buddies started discussing the extremely serious matter.

King Taksin mentioned that with the normal way of paying debt to China, they would see no future when it would end. The said debt was not just upon them but upon everyone on this land. Plus, since no one could predict the future, they would never knew how China would think of them. What if China might want their land or something worse?

Then the King revealed his solution which had been thoroughly thought. The best way was to ‘change hands’.

“This reign must be discontinued and you will start the new reign. This way, the two reigns are not connected in anyway. So you as the new reign don’t have to carry the burden the former reign is doing. Thus, our debt will be nullified”

After hearing the King’s plan, Nai Tong Duang knew immediately the meaning of “This reign must be discontinued”. So, he was against head-on because it meant treason.


“I heard that he also cried a river”

“Don’t be such a dramatic queen, bitch!”


So, after the long argument, the plan which was known among a few trusted people, was finally set.

While Nai Tong Duang was sent on a mission far away, rumors would be arranged inside the Palace and spread to his ears that the capital city was in chaos due to the King who was so religious went lunatic.

Nai Tong Duang then, had to come back and see to it. Since he deemed that the King was not capable of ruling the land and also might cause harmful to any situations in the future, he had to take care of the King, for the better good, and that was to have him killed by beheading.


"Another interruption… Historians discovered that there were various styles of executing the monarchs in the ancient days. The case of King Taksin, they found that he was beheaded"


Since a part of the traditional process of executing the Kings and other high royalties, around that time, was to cover them with royal sacks, so, while the real King was hidden somewhere, a stuntman was arranged.

The stuntman was selected from an inmate whose stature resembled the King and who had performed serious crime that had already been sentenced to death in anytime soon.

So, on the execution day, though it was said to be packed of crowd but back then everything was wild and raw, no one really knew who was exactly covered with the royal sack. The plan was accomplished smoothly.

Official rumor was spread that the King went lunatic and was beheaded.

This rumor, in the end, has become our official history telling the life of King Taksin the Great.


More tales follow that…

After the big day, the real King Taksin was secretly taken away from the Palace and Krung Thonburi, the capital he had built with his own hands, to embark on a junk boat and sail down south.

He disembarked at a pier in Nakorn Sritummarat which was considered far from him being a familiar face there. He, as a religious man, went on to become a monk at a wat named Kao Koon Panom and stayed under the monkhood there until his death at the age of 91.


“If you don’t believe, go to Nakorn Sritummarat and you will see the traces of the existence of King Taksin here and there”




Back to Nai Tong Duang, after doing as his beloved friend had ordered, continued on his mission to nullify the reign of his friend then abandon the only 15 year old former capital and lead his people across the Chao Praya River to the east bank and built a new one there.

He then took the throne as King Rama I, beginning the new era of the new kingdom, Ratanakosin Kingdom.

For China, it had followed the news and figured out what was going on. It arranged a fleet to come to collect the debt but that was unfortunate for, being aware of it beforehand, King Rama I was prepared and he with his men fought back the Chinese vigorously.


“Hence King Taksin’s plan was successful. The debt was invalidated”

“I have a question”

“Shoot!”

“To build a new city, I mean Krung Ratanakosin, didn’t they have to find money as well?”

“Okay, we will compile you some factors and you do the match.

1. Having to go all the way to China, They definitely did not just borrow, say, a cup of sugar. It had to be a lot of money plus everything. Then focus on Krung Thonburi, King Taksin’s new city, which had been built for 15 years but up until now there have been no traces of more evidence of any constructions except his Palace and its vicinity of which the style was so simple and that’s all.

2. King Rama I’s new city, Krung Ratanakosin, the area was selected just opposite site of the Chao Praya River from Krung Thonburi’s. Metaphorically said “Just a stone throw away”. Don’t you think that it was so convenient to “transport/move things"?

3. And look at the Krung Ratanakosin after being built, didn’t it look elegant? This time, they didn’t borrow from anyone then how and where did they get the resource then?