|
Wat Arun
Wat Arun Ratchawararam Ratchawaramahawihan ( ) or Wat Arun (, "Temple of Dawn") is a Buddhist temple ('' wat'') in the Bangkok Yai district of Bangkok, Thailand. It is situated on Thonburi on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River. The temple derives its name from the Hindu god Aruṇa, often personified as the radiations of the rising sun. Wat Arun is among the best known of Thailand's landmarks.Liedtke 2011, p. 57 Although the temple has existed since at least the 17th century, its distinctive '' prang'' (spire) was built in the early 19th century during the reigns of Rama II and Rama III. Etymology The name of Wat Arun is derived from the Hindu god Aruna, who is charioteer of the sun god Surya. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bangkok
Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated population of 10 million people as of 2024, 13% of the country's population. Over 17.4 million people (25% of Thailand's population) live within the surrounding Bangkok Metropolitan Region as of the 2021 estimate, making Bangkok a megacity and an extreme primate city, dwarfing Thailand's other urban centres in both size and importance to the national economy. Bangkok traces its roots to a small trading post during the Ayutthaya Kingdom, Ayutthaya era in the 15th century, which eventually grew and became the site of two capital cities, Thonburi Kingdom, Thonburi in 1767 and Rattanakosin Kingdom (1782–1932), Rattanakosin in 1782. Bangkok was at the heart of the modernization of Siam during the late 19th century, as the count ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Theravada
''Theravāda'' (; 'School of the Elders'; ) is Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school's adherents, termed ''Theravādins'' (anglicized from Pali ''theravādī''), have preserved their version of the Buddha's teaching or ''Dharma (Buddhism), Dhamma'' in the Pāli Canon for over two millennia. The Pāli Canon is the most complete Buddhist canon surviving in a Indo-Aryan languages, classical Indian language, Pāli, which serves as the school's sacred language and ''lingua franca''.Crosby, Kate (2013), ''Theravada Buddhism: Continuity, Diversity, and Identity'', p. 2. In contrast to Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna, Theravāda tends to be conservative in matters of doctrine (''pariyatti'') and monastic discipline (''vinaya''). One element of this Religious conservatism, conservatism is the fact that Theravāda rejects the authenticity of the Mahayana sutras (which appeared onwards). Consequently, Theravāda generally does not recognize the existence of many Buddhas and bodhisattva ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Narai
King Narai the Great (, , ) or Ramathibodi III ( ) was the 27th monarch of Ayutthaya Kingdom, the 4th and last monarch of the Prasat Thong dynasty. He was the king of Ayutthaya Kingdom from 1656 to 1688 and arguably the most famous king of the Prasat Thong dynasty. His reign was the most prosperous during the Ayutthaya period and saw the great commercial and diplomatic activities with foreign nations including the Middle East and the West. During the later years of his reign, Narai gave his favorite – the Greek adventurer Constantine Phaulkon – so much power that Phaulkon technically became the chancellor of the state. Through the arrangements of Phaulkon, the Siamese kingdom came into close diplomatic relations with the court of Louis XIV and French soldiers and missionaries filled the Siamese aristocracy and defense. The dominance of French officials led to frictions between them and the native mandarins and led to the turbulent revolution of 1688 towards the end of h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Henri Mouhot
Alexandre Henri Mouhot (15 May 1826 – 10 November 1861) was a French naturalist and explorer of the mid-19th century. He was born in Montbéliard, Doubs, France, near the Swiss border. He died near Luang-Prabang, Laos. He is remembered mostly in connection to Angkor. Mouhot's tomb is located just outside of Ban Phanom, to the east of Luang Prabang. Early life Mouhot traveled throughout Europe with his brother Charles, studying photographic techniques developed by Louis Daguerre. In 1856, he began devoting himself to the study of natural science. Upon reading ''The Kingdom and People of Siam'' by Sir John Bowring in 1857, Mouhot decided to travel to Indochina to conduct a series of botanical expeditions for the collection of new zoological specimens. His initial requests for grants and passage were rejected by French companies and the government of Napoleon III. The Royal Geographical Society and the Zoological Society of London lent him their support, and he set sail for Ban ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rama III
Nangklao (born Thap; 31 March 1788 – 2 April 1851), also known by his regnal name Rama III, was the third king of Siam from the Chakri dynasty, ruling from 21 July 1824 to 2 April 1851. Nangklao was the eldest surviving son of King Rama II. His mother Sri Sulalai was one of Rama II's secondary wives. Nangklao was likely designated as heir by his father. His accession was uncontested and smoothly confirmed by the grand council. Foreign observers, however, falsely perceived him as having usurped the prior claim of his younger half-brother Prince Mongkut, who was born to Queen Sri Suriyendra and thus " legitimate" according to Western customs. Under the old concept of Thai monarchy, however, a proper king must emulate Maha Sammata in that he must be "elected by the people." Ironically, Mongkut may have later contributed to this misconception, when he feared that his own accession might be perceived by foreign observers as a usurpation. During Nangklao's reign, the military heg ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rama II Of Siam
Phutthaloetla Naphalai (born Chim; 24 February 1767 or 1768 – 21 July 1824), also known by his regnal name Rama II, was the second King of Siam from the Chakri dynasty, ruling from 1809 to 1824. In 1809, Itsarasunthon succeeded his father Rama I, the founder of the Chakri dynasty, as Loetlanaphalai the King of Siam. His reign was largely peaceful, devoid of major conflicts. His reign was known as the "Golden Age of Rattanakosin Literature" as Loetlanaphalai was patron to a number of poets in his court, and the King himself was a renowned poet and artist. The most notable poet in his employ was the illustrious Sunthorn Phu, the author of '' Phra Aphai Mani''. The rapid growth of the number of his descendants was outstanding: he is believed to have had over 240 grandchildren. Early life Chim was born in 1767 during the Ayutthaya Kingdom in Amphawa District, Samut Songkram. He was a son of Luang Yokkrabat of Ratchaburi and Nak of Samut Sakorn, as his father and mother were t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rama I
Phutthayotfa Chulalok (born Thongduang; 20 March 1737 – 7 September 1809), also known by his regnal name Rama I, was the founder of the Rattanakosin Kingdom (now Thailand) and the first King of Siam from the reigning Chakri dynasty. He ascended the throne in 1782, following the deposition of King Taksin of Thonburi. He was also celebrated as the founder of Rattanakosin (now Bangkok) as the new capital of the reunited kingdom. Rama I, whose given name was Thongduang, was born from a Mon male line descent family, great-grandson of Kosa Pan. His father served in the royal court of the Ayutthaya Kingdom. Thongduang and his younger brother Boonma served King Taksin in wars against the Burmese Konbaung dynasty and helped him in the reunification of Siam. During this time he emerged as Siam's most powerful military leader. Thongduang was the first '' Somdet Chao Phraya'', the highest rank the nobility could attain, equaled to that of royalty. In 1782, he took control of Sia ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thonburi Palace
Thonburi Palace, also known in Thai as Phra Racha Wang Derm (, , literally ''former palace''), is the former royal palace of King Taksin, who ruled the Siamese ( Thai) kingdom of Thonburi following the fall of Ayutthaya in 1767 and up until the establishment of Rattanakosin in 1782. It later served as the residence of several high-ranking members of the Chakri dynasty until 1900 when the palace became the site of the Royal Thai Naval Academy. The palace is now within the grounds of the Royal Thai Navy headquarters in Bangkok, and is open for group visits pending advance appointment. History Following the fall of Ayutthaya in 1767 and subsequent Burmese withdrawal, the military leader Phraya Tak succeeded in reclaiming the cities of Ayutthaya and Thonburi (also known as Bangkok). He then established himself as king (later known as Taksin) and made Thonburi his new capital. He had a royal palace built within the old city walls, near the Wichayen Fort (which was renamed Wichai Pra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wat Phra Kaew
Wat Phra Kaew (, , ), commonly known in English as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and officially as Wat Phra Si Rattana Satsadaram, is regarded as the most sacred Wat, Buddhist temple in Thailand. The complex consists of a number of buildings within the precincts of the Grand Palace in the historical centre of Bangkok. It houses the statue of the Emerald Buddha, which is venerated as the country's Palladium (protective image), palladium. Construction of the temple began in 1783 under the orders of Rama I, the first king of the Chakri dynasty. Since then, each successive king has been personally involved in adding, restoring and embellishing the temple during their reigns as a way of making Merit (Buddhism), religious merit and glorifying the dynasty. Many important state and royal ceremonies are held within the temple each year, presided by King of Thailand, the king in person and attended by government officials. This makes the temple the nation's preeminent place of worship ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Emerald Buddha
The Emerald Buddha ( , or , ) is an image of the meditating Gautama Buddha seated in a Meditation attitude, meditative posture, made of a semi-precious green stone (jasper rather than emerald or jade), clothed in gold, and about tall. The image is considered the sacred Palladium (protective image), palladium of Thailand. It is housed in the ''Temple of the Emerald Buddha'' (Wat Phra Kaew) on the grounds of the Grand Palace in Bangkok. Origin myths Sinhalese origin according to the ''Jinakalamali'' The legend of the Emerald Buddha is related in number of sources such as ''Jinakalamali'', ''Amarakatabuddharupanidana'', and in particular ''Ratanabimbavamsa'' or ''The Chronicle of the Emerald Buddha'' written in Pali by Brahmarājaprajña in the 15th century (but the oldest extant manuscript dates only to 1788). The story is a mix of fact and fables with some variations to the story. According to the legend, the Emerald Buddha was created in 43 BCE by a sage named Nagasena in th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thonburi Kingdom
The Thonburi Kingdom was a major Thai people, Siamese kingdom which existed in Southeast Asia from 1767 to 1782, centered around the city of Thonburi, in Siam or present-day Thailand. The kingdom was founded by Taksin, who reunited Siam following the collapse of the Ayutthaya Kingdom, which saw the country separate into five warring regional states. The Thonburi Kingdom oversaw the rapid reunification and reestablishment of Siam as a preeminient military power within mainland Southeast Asia, overseeing the country's expansion to its greatest territorial extent up to that point in its history, incorporating Lan Na, the Lao people, Laotian kingdoms (Kingdom of Luang Phrabang, Luang Phrabang, Kingdom of Vientiane, Vientiane, Kingdom of Champasak, Champasak), and Post-Angkor Period, Cambodia under the Siamese Mandala (political model), sphere of influence. The Thonburi Kingdom saw the consolidation and continued growth of Chinese trade from Qing China, a continuation from the late ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
