Ratchaburi ( th, ราชบุรี, ) or Rajburi, Rat Buri) is a town (''
thesaban mueang
Thesaban ( th, เทศบาล, , ) are the municipalities of Thailand. There are three levels of municipalities: city, town, and sub-district. Bangkok and Pattaya are special municipal entities not included in the ''thesaban'' system.
The mu ...
'') in western
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
, capital of
Ratchaburi Province.
Ratchaburi town covers the entire ''
tambon
''Tambon'' ( th, ตำบล, ) is a local governmental unit in Thailand. Below district ('' amphoe'') and province ('' changwat''), they form the third administrative subdivision level. there were 7,255 tambons, not including the 180 '' khwaen ...
'' Na Mueang (หน้าเมือง) of
Mueang Ratchaburi District. As of 2017 it had an estimated population of 36,169, down from 38,149 in 2005.
History
The earliest evidence of settled habitation is that of the
Dvaravati culture. At one time it was thought that the early town was founded on the coast of the
Gulf of Thailand, and that over time the coast had moved 30 km (18 miles) away to the south, due to
sedimentation
Sedimentation is the deposition of sediments. It takes place when particles in suspension settle out of the fluid in which they are entrained and come to rest against a barrier. This is due to their motion through the fluid in response to t ...
coming down the
Mae Klong River. However, geological and
palynological investigation has shown that these early Dvaravati and proto-Dvaravati towns were all inland, at the edges of swamps when founded. Ratchaburi remains an important commercial centre, however. Archeological discoveries show that the area was already settled in the
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...
, and the town itself is known to have existed for at least two thousand years.
In the 13th-century, King
Ram Khamhaeng seized Ratchaburi and incorporated it into the
Sukhothai Kingdom
The Sukhothai Kingdom ( th, สุโขทัย, , IAST: , ) was a post-classical Thai kingdom ( mandala) in Mainland Southeast Asia surrounding the ancient capital city of Sukhothai in present-day north-central Thailand. The kingdom was ...
. Later it was an important trade centre in the
Ayutthaya Kingdom
The Ayutthaya Kingdom (; th, อยุธยา, , IAST: or , ) was a Siamese kingdom that existed in Southeast Asia from 1351 to 1767, centered around the city of Ayutthaya, in Siam, or present-day Thailand. The Ayutthaya Kingdom is consi ...
. In 1768 the
Burmese
Burmese may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Myanmar, a country in Southeast Asia
* Burmese people
* Burmese language
* Burmese alphabet
* Burmese cuisine
* Burmese culture
Animals
* Burmese cat
* Burmese chicken
* Burmese (hor ...
(who had recently destroyed Ayutthaya) were thrown out of Ratchaburi by
King Taksin, and the town became part of
Siam.
In 2000, a splinter group of
Karen activists from Burma, known as
God's Army, briefly took the Ratchaburi hospital staff and patients hostage, before the siege was relieved by the Thai army.
References
External links
*
*
City of Ratchaburi
{{Authority control
Cities and towns in Thailand
Populated places in Ratchaburi province