Today Bangkok celebrates its 234th anniversary !
The city with longest city name in the world (see article) celebrates today, April 21, 2016, its official 23th anniversary. This year marks the 234th year of Bangkok as the capital of Thailand.
Following the destruction of Ayutthaya in 1767, Thais moved south to Thon Buri to regroup and restore the kingdom. King Rama I was appointed field commander of King Taksin the Great. He fought in many military campaigns before obtaining the title of Chao Phraya Chakri, the equivalent of a Supreme Commander. When he accepted the throne, the Chakri title was applied to the family line and is still the name of the Royal House today.
After the death of King Taksin, Chao Phraya Chakri ascended the throne on April 6, 1782, at the age of 46 years. He began to establish Rattanakosin, or Bangkok, as the royal capital. Realizing that Thonburi on the west bank of the Chao Phraya would be more threatened by enemy attacks, he decided to move the capital from Thonburi to Bangkok on the other bank.
The formal date of the city’s establishment is counted to the erection of the city pillar on 21 April 1782. So today we can say, “Happy birthday Bangkok!”
