Thread: Memory Lane (In my own language)

Princess Daksinajar (pronounce as 'Taksincha') Naradhirajbutri (1852 – 1906) was a daughter of King Rama IV. She became King Rama V’s first consort who was a daughter of a (former) king. As she and the King shared the same father, so, they were relatives. She was one year older.

Together they had one son but he lived for just eight hours and never received a name yet.

The death of her son apparently distressed her so much that her mind escaped from reality. Her memory circled around her dead son. That made her being unable to connect with the real world thus, not being able to return to the royal service.

The King felt so sad for his beloved wife but nothing could be done to fix for she did not help herself first. So, he built her a private manor. In the end, she had moved out of the Grand Palace to live with her cousin’s.

She died on September 13, 1906 at the age of 53.

Note: Chakri Dynasty in the old days, several of the king’s consorts were also his half-sisters or close relatives. These consummations (no official wedding ceremony back then) were usually done to keep the bloodline pure and the power within the right family. It is perhaps no surprise that many of their children did not survive or if they did, their health was weak and had short lives.

Tram tickets, early 1900s






(Backed with advertisement; British Dispensary’s)



(No electrocution guarantee)



(Tram ticket collector)


The Act declaring that a tram driver had to register and obtain a license for driving a tram.

1. He must not be convicted of various criminal cases.
2. He must be over 20 years of age.
3. The license fee is 2 baht.
4. The license must be renewed every 31^st March of each year
5. While driving the tram, the driver must carry his license at all times. If not, he will be fined 12 baht.
6. If a person who is not a tram driver drives a tram, the tram company will be fined 100 baht.
7. A person who drives a tram without a license will be sentenced to either 10 days' imprisonment or a fine of 50 baht, or both.
8. Driving a tram at high speed and has been warned for 3 times/year will be fired.

Announced on September 3^rd, 1912

Ban Pin Train Station is located in Tumbon Ban Pin, Umpur Long, Phrae Province. It was built in 1914 in the reign of King Rama VI using mixture designs of Germany’s Bavarian Timber Frame Building style and traditional Thai style called ‘Punya’. The result came out unique which has made it the only one of the kind of train station all over Siam/Thailand’s.

Note: The designer was a German named Emile Eisenhofer.

(The computer colored photo)


Records say that the first rickshaw seen in Siam was imported from China to present to King Rama V by ‘Chao Sua (= millionaire) Pook’ whose position was a chief of a section in the Department of Finance of which the job was to take care of trades dealt with foreigners from the areas on the east side of the Gulf of Siam (such as China, Japan, Korea and other countries that entered Siam from that direction).

Not long after, rickshaws had been seen like ants around Bangkok. They were immensely popular for people.

One extraordinary thing about calling a service from a rickshaw was that you have to say your destination in Chinese because rickshaws did not travel to Siam alone, they came with Chinese, separately though, who had sought for better lives such as working as rickshaw pullers.

These Chinese, freshly arrived, could not speak even a Thai word so the problem fell on the customers who were both Thai and farung.

A famous Thai noble who lived in that time used to make joke that ‘Bangkok looks much more like a Chinese town than a Siamese town’.

The royal cremations are important occasions. Entertainment for royal funerals has been a tradition since the Ayutthaya period. The festivity is organized for the people. It also marks the end of the mourning period and to celebrate the power and charisma of a monarch.

The first time that funerary entertainment was held in the Rattanakosin period was for the royal funeral of King Rama I's father in 1796. The shows consisted of khone (masked dance), lakhon (plays), hoon (puppetry), nang (shadow puppetry), Chinese operas, Mon rum (Mon dances), tai luad (wire walking), acrobatic shows and more.

Another tradition arranged at the royal funerals was called ‘Nang Rong Hai’ (roughly means as ‘the ladies who cry’). The purpose was to express sorrow and mourning for the dead ones.

The ‘Nang Rong Hai’ tradition had cultural influences from the Mon people who had been in close contact with Siam for a long time. Their tradition was called ‘Mon Rong Hai’.

Siam took this tradition and changed its name to ‘Nang Rong Hai’ and upgraded it to be performed only at the royal funerals. The performance had continued throughout the early of the Rattanakosin era.

One part of records made by King Rama V explains that the ‘Nang Rong Hai’ could be performed only at the funeral of a royalty who was a child of the king with his queen (s) who was/were born from the former king.

As for Mon tradition, the ‘Mon Rong Hai’ means a group of women wailing in melodies but for Siamese tradition, it has been changed. Lyrics have been added to the wailing melodies. Lyrics that show sorrow, yearning feelings and longing desire to follow and serve the deceased in his/her afterlife.

The group of ‘Nang Rong Hai’ consisted of all women from the court, around 80-100, with 4 leaders selected from high ranks and the rest were chorus. They all dressed in white. Back in the old days, all of them had to shave their hair to show their deep sorrow.

The last performance of the ‘Nang Rong Hai’ was at King Rama V’s funeral. It was recorded that there was only one leader of the group who was the King’s most beloved Royal Concubine (she story is waiting in queue).

The ‘Nang Rong Hai’ performance at King Rama V’s funeral showed grave concern for King Rama VI, his son. He deemed that those voices from the performance were annoying and the lyrics repeated boringly over and over. It did not really look like crying let alone morning. Besides, the noises interrupted the monks’ chants.

Moreover, the behaviors of the people who came to watch the performance did not show respect to the deceased who was a high ranking royalty. It was likely that they seized the chance to come to ‘check and flirt’ on each other much more. Also, the members of the ‘Nang Rong Hai’ group did not show mournfulness but seemed to seize this sad opportunity to hang out and chat.

The inappropriateness made the King (Rama VI) announce the abolition of the ‘Nang Rong Hai’ tradition.

‘…For all these reasons, I hate ‘Nang Rong Hai’ tradition and announce in advance that there will be no such performance at my funeral…’

(The painting of a group of ‘Nang Rong Hai’. The original of this photo is a part of ancient paintings on a wall's corridor inside Wat Prakaew’s main hall. The said paintings tell about the story of Ramayana. Since Ramayana is from ancient India which has nothing to do with ‘Nang Rong Hai’ which is a part of Siamese’s tradition which is derived from Mon’s so, I guess the painter included it to reflect Siamese’s. Notice, those women’s heads were shaven).

Sadab was born in 1890 of a lower-ranking royal family (She had her royal title but I will leave it as I am telling you simple story). At the age of 11, her grandmother brought her to the Grand Palace to work with one of King Rama V's Royal Consorts, Princess Saisawalee Pilom, who was assigned as the King’s personal chef.

The King’s Royal Consort loved her personality so much that she taught the girl everything a good cook should know.

At 16, Sadab was brought before the King (whose age was 53) and became a King's Royal Concubine. On that day, the King handed her a gold bracelet with his name engraved inside as a token of his affection.

Though very young but Sadab ‘knew how’ and she behaved as a humble and well-mannered person. She could have the King's heart in her palm easily. Not so long, she was promoted to the top of all the Royal Concubines (based on the royal insignia she was granted by the King). That position also came with a price; jealousy and bully.

"Everywhere I turned I heard bad gossips about me" Sadab, at her old age, once reminisced.

Feeling unfairly, depressed and disappointed in people, she tried to commit suicide but it was not her time yet.

Anyway, Sadab did not bring all this stuff up to tell the King but humbly serviced him with smiling face and loyalty. She became so much beloved that the King gave her valuable things from time to time and always wrote to her whenever he was far away.

(All of those photos are computer colored)


King Rama V passed away in 1910. Sadab was only 20 years old.

When the man she had dedicated her love and loyalty to was gone, Sadab had no point to stay on within the Grand Palace.

After being assigned the last honorable duty as the leader of the ‘Nang Rong Hai’ group (story on the previous article) showing her sweet voice at her husband’s funeral, Sadab returned everything her beloved King used to give to her affectionately such as expensive jewels and other precious things including insignia of royalty to the King's widow, the Supreme Queen Consort (now, Queen Mother of King Rama VI), in order to exclude herself from accusation that, as a young and beautiful lady, she could invest all of those things in baiting her new boyfriends in the future.

The only thing that Sadab did not return was the engraved gold bracelet she had received on the first day that she was brought before the King.

She then bade goodbye to the commotion in the Grand Palace and spent her simple solitary life as a nun (a Buddhist nun = mae chee) at a wat in Chonburi Province.

Much later on in the reign of King Rama IX, Sadab, at her old age, was respectfully persuaded by the King to come back and live the rest of her life inside the Grand Palace so that she could be well and respectfully taken care of.

Chao Chom (A title given to the king’ royal concubine) Mom Ratchawong (her birth royal title) Sadab Ladawan (since 1916, King Rama VI had enacted a law that required all families to have surnames. Ladawan, as Sadab’s surname, was originated from the name of her ancestor who was a son of King Rama III. Hence, she was distantly related to King Rama V, her husband, since King Rama V was a son of King Rama IV who was King Rama III half-brother… If you are confused, I’m not surprised!), the Royal Concubine in the reign of King Rama V who had lived long through 5 reigns and became the King's last surviving Royal Concubine, passed away in June 1983 at the age of 93. She had never remarried.

The engraved gold bracelet she had got on the first day that she was brought before the King was still worn around her wrist.

(Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, King Rama IX’s Crown Princess is seen)


On her funeral, one of her descendants removed the engraved gold bracelet from her wrist and gave it back to King Rama IX as it was a Siamese court memorable.

The story of her great love and loyalty for her husband, King Rama V, still prevails until today.

(King Rama IX and Queen Sirikit attending Sadab’s cremation)

(The engraved gold bracelet from Sadab’s wrist being given back to King Rama IX)


Back in the reign of King Rama V, while staying in the beginning with Princess Saisawalee Pilom, who worked as the personal chef for the King and got loved and trusted that the Princess taught her everything a good cook should know, that had made Sadab become one of the gourmet chefs. She compiled a big book of Royal Recipes.

One part in her book, Sadab mentions about a man-made pond in Suan Sunanta Palace. One day, while members of the royal family (female and children who resided within the inner section) were playing and boating in the pond, as they frequently did, Princess Saisawalee had an idea. She asked Sadab to rush into the kitchen, Royal’s, to find some food and bring back to enhance this lovely picnic.

Since the kitchen staffs were not around at that time, Sadab only managed to grab a few ingredients available within reach. They included leftover plain chili dip, some fresh vegetables, sweet pork, dried fish and a few salted eggs.

Being fast on her feet, Sadab mixed the ingredients with the chili dip and put egg yolks on top making a brand new recipe to be eaten with fresh vegetables and steamed rice.

This became an instant royal recipe hit and is now known as the famous, “nam prik long ruea,” found in many kitchens today.

The name translates to “chili dip in a boat”. It is featured as the first recipe in the cook book Chao Chom Mom Rachawong Sadab eventually compiled.

Referring to the article on page 44/1099, these are the photos showing the events in chronological sequence:

(Prince Chakrabongse’s royal urn was carried by train and arrived in Bangkok at Bangkok Noi Train Station at 4 pm. on June 20^th , 1920)

(King Rama VI came to receive his brother’s body)

(The procession moved down to the pier close to the train station to embark on board the royal boat)

(The procession disembarked at Vasukri pier which was close to the Prince’s palace)

(The procession moved from Vasukri pier to the Prince’s palace, Paruskavan)

(Then, from the Palace to Sanum Luang)

After King Rama V freshly took the throne, he had an idea of going abroad to witness the way of governance and civilization of the western colonial nations namely Singapore, Java, Burma and India.

Before setting off, in order to level up to those countries, first he had to adjust some Siamese traditions and customs and one of those related to how to dress and how to groom in order to blend with the world outside.

How to dress has been briefed on page 25/602.

Now, how to groom.

The King saw that at present time, Siamese hairdo which was called ‘Mahad Tai’ that his men were wearing would seem ridiculous in the westerners’ eye.

So, he ordered everyone that would follow him abroad to change it by growing more hair around the side of the head to look like that worn by farung that were seen around in Bangkok.

Once coming back to Siam, the King sent official announcement to order every man in the court to stop wearing the ‘Mahad Tai’ hairdo and change to this new hairdo instead.

Not long after, local men all over Siam followed and soon the ‘Mahad Tai’ hairdo was extinct.

(The computer colored photo)