350px, Samsen Road in the phase of Thewet Naruemit Bridge (view backward to Phra Nakhon side) Samsen or spelled Sam Sen (, ) is a road and neighbourhood in

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 estim ...

considered to be one of Bangkok's oldest. Samsen road starts from Bang Lamphu intersection in the area of

Bang Lamphu Bang Lamphu, also spelled Banglampoo or Banglamphu (, ; in the past, it was often misspelled บางลำภู) is a neighbourhood in Bangkok located in Phra Nakhon District. The history of the Bang Lamphu community dates to the establishment ...

within Phra Nakhon district and wends northeast to

Dusit Dusit () is the Thai name for Tushita, the fourth heavenly realm in Buddhist cosmology. The name may refer to: * Dusit District, a district of Bangkok * Dusit Palace, namesake of the district *Dusit Subdistrict, Bangkok, in Dusit District * Dusit S ...

district as far as it ends at

Kiakkai Kiakkai alternatively Kiak Kai (, ) is an intersection and neighbourhood in Bangkok's Thanon Nakhon Chai Si Subdistrict, Dusit District. The term ''Kiakkai'' is an old Thai word meaning "Provisions Department" (comparable to the current Quarterma ...

intersection, covering 4.6 km (2.8 mi). It runs parallel to east

Chao Phraya river The Chao Phraya River is the major river in Thailand, with its low alluvial plain forming the centre of the country. It flows through Bangkok and then into the Gulf of Thailand. Etymology Written evidence of the river being referred to by the ...

all the route.

History

Samsen began in

Ayutthaya period The Ayutthaya Kingdom or the Empire of Ayutthaya was a Thai people, Thai kingdom that existed in Southeast Asia from 1351 to 1767, centered around the city of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya (city), Ayutthaya, in Siam, or present-day Thailand. Europe ...

(1351–1767) in the reign of King

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 ...

(1633–88). Portuguese came to live and work in the kingdom and the king allowed them to settle in Samsen. At that time, this area was a paddy field and

canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface ...

by Khlong Samsen (Samsen canal), which is believed to be a natural canal. The Portuguese founded Immaculate Conception Church in around 1674, the oldest church in Thailand. In the reigns of King

Phutthayotfa Chulalok 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 asce ...

(Rama I) and King

Nangklao Nangklao (born Thap; 31 March 1788 – 2 April 1851), also known by his regnal name Rama III, was the third Monarchy of Thailand, king of Siam from the Chakri dynasty, ruling from 21 July 1824 to 2 April 1851. Nangklao was the eldest surviving ...

(Rama III) of Rattanakosin kingdom, Christians

Khmers The Khmer people (, UNGEGN: , ALA-LC: ) are an Austroasiatic ethnic group native to Cambodia. They comprise over 95% of Cambodia's population of 17 million.https://web.archive.org/web/20191113151101/http://www.nis.gov.kh/nis/Census2019/Pro ...

and

Annamese The Vietnamese people (, ) or the Kinh people (), also known as the Viet people or the Viets, are a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to modern-day northern Vietnam and southern China who speak Vietnamese, the most widely spoken Austroasi ...

(Vietnamese) who escaped crackdowns in their country migrated to

Siam Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

(now Thailand). They were allowed by the king to settle in the area nearby Portuguese's church in Samsen. The area became known as "Ban Khmer" (บ้านเขมร) and "Ban Yuan" (บ้านญวน). Samsen has at least two Thai temples, which date to the Ayutthaya period or earlier, including Wat Rachathiwat and Wat Thewarat Kunchorn. In the past, the area of Samsen to

Pak Kret Pak Kret (, ) is a city (''thesaban nakhon'') in Nonthaburi province, Thailand. It lies in the Central Thailand plains on the east bank of the lower Chao Phraya River, bordering Bangkok to the east, Mueang Nonthaburi district of Nonthaburi provi ...

Nonthaburi Nonthaburi (, ) is the principal city of the district and province of the same name in Thailand. On 15 February 1936, Nonthaburi town municipality ('' thesaban mueang'') was established, which only covered Suan Yai subdistrict (''tambon''), j ...

used to be a place where pregnant of

toli shad The toli shad or Chinese herring (''Tenualosa toli'') is a fish of the family Clupeidae, a species of shad distributed in the western Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal to the Java Sea and the South China Sea. It may be found in Mauritius and the ...

(''Tenualosa toli'') was found. They will swim from the sea to spawn in freshwater sources on the Chao Phraya river in Bangkok area to the north. Therefore, they were fished in large numbers and causing to be in an endangered state at present. 350px, The eponymous Khlong Samsen at the point where it confluence Chao Phraya River

Etymology

"Samsen" has no specific meaning in Thai. It may have derived from

Pali Pāli (, IAST: pāl̤i) is a Classical languages of India, classical Middle Indo-Aryan languages, Middle Indo-Aryan language of the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pali Canon, Pāli Can ...

or from

Bahasa Melayu Malay ( , ; , Jawi: ) is an Austronesian language spoken primarily by Malays in several islands of Maritime Southeast Asia and the Malay Peninsula on the mainland Asia. The language is an official language of Brunei, Malaysia, and Singa ...

. Legendarily a floating

Buddha statue Much Buddhist art uses depictions of the historical Buddha, Gautama Buddha, which are known as () in Sanskrit and Pali. These may be statues or other images such as paintings. The main figure in an image may be someone else who has obtained B ...

required up to three hundred thousand people to raise it from the water. "Samsen" is similar to "Sam Saen", which means three hundred thousand. This Buddha is a Buddha statue in stopping the rainstorm attitude enshrined in front of Samsen Police Station today, namely Luang Por Phuttha Samsen, or known in short as Luang Por Samsen. Two related sub-districts are Samsen Nai in Phaya Thai and Samsen Nok in

Huai Khwang Huai Khwang (, ) is one of the 50 districts (khet) of Bangkok, Thailand. It is east of the city centre. Neighbouring districts are Chatuchak, Wang Thonglang, Bang Kapi, Suan Luang, Watthana, Ratchathewi, and Din Daeng. History Huai Khwang di ...

districts. They are connected to Khlong Samsen rather than the road.

Road

Samsen road built during the reign of King

Chulalongkorn Chulalongkorn (20 September 1853 – 23 October 1910), posthumously honoured as King Chulalongkorn the Great, was the fifth king of Siam from the Chakri dynasty, titled Rama V. Chulalongkorn's reign from 1868 until his death in 1910 was cha ...

(Rama V), considered to be the first road connecting the inner city with the northern suburbs. It was originally informally known as "Saphan Kaew Road" (ถนนสะพานแก้ว, ). Although it is short, Samsen road runs through historic and important places such as

Bang Khun Phrom Palace The Bang Khun Phrom Palace () is a former royal residence in Bangkok, Thailand. It served as the residence of Prince Paribatra Sukhumbandhu until his forced exile following the Siamese revolution of 1932. The palace is situated on the east bank o ...

and

Bank of Thailand The Bank of Thailand (BOT; Abbreviation, abbr. ธปท.; , ) is the central bank of Thailand. History The Bank of Thailand (BOT) was first set up as the Thai National Banking Bureau. The Bank of Thailand Act was promulgated on 28 April 1942 ...

with Devavesm Palace, Thewet Bridge, Immaculate Conception Church, Saint Francis Xavier Church,

Saint Gabriel's College Saint Gabriel's College () is a private Catholic all-boys school in Bangkok, Thailand. The school was founded by the Brothers of Saint Gabriel in 1920. The school educates students from grade 1 through grade 12 (K–12). Admission, especially i ...

Vajira Hospital Vajira Hospital (, ) is one of the first hospitals in Thailand, founded by King Rama VI. It is a teaching university hospital of the Faculty of Medicine Vajira Hospital, Navamindradhiraj University; the Faculty of Medicine, Bangkokthonburi Univ ...

, Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University,

Sukhothai Palace Sukhothai Palace or Sukhodaya Palace (; ) is a royal residence situated on Samsen Road in Dusit District, Bangkok, Thailand. It is nearby to Dusit Palace and Vajira Hospital. The palace was the residence of King Prajadhipok (King Rama VII) and ...

National Library A national library is a library established by a government as a country's preeminent repository of information. Unlike public library, public libraries, these rarely allow citizens to borrow books. Often, they include numerous rare, valuable, ...

and Royal Pier, Thavasuki, Wat Bot Samsen,

Boon Rawd Brewery Boon Rawd Brewery () is a Thai brewery founded in 1933 by Phraya Bhirom Bhakdi (Boonrawd Sreshthaputra). It also produces soft drinks and bottled drinking water. Their best-known product is the pale lager Singha. History Boon Rawd Brewery was th ...

Headquarters and

Sappaya-Sapasathan Sappaya-Sapasathan (, , ) is the third and current meeting place of the National Assembly of Thailand, the bicameral legislative branch of the Government of Thailand. It is located in Bangkok on the east bank of the Chao Phraya River in Kiakkai ...

, the new

Parliament House Parliament House may refer to: Meeting places of parliament Australia * Parliament House, Canberra, Parliament of Australia * Parliament House, Adelaide, Parliament of South Australia * Parliament House, Brisbane, Parliament of Queensland * P ...

. The road also a location of five piers for

Chao Phraya Express Boat The Chao Phraya Express Boat ( ''Ruea Duan Chao Phraya'') is a transportation service in Thailand operating on the Chao Phraya River. It provides riverine express transportation between stops in the capital city of Bangkok and to Nonthaburi Pro ...

: Thewet (N15), Payap (N18), Irrigation Dept. (N19), Kheaw Khai Ka (N20), and Kiak Kai (N21). In addition, at the point that it intersects with

Ratchawithi road file:MRT Sirindhorn - View from Bang Plad intersection.jpg, Bang Phlat Intersection where Ratchawithi Road ends Ratchawithi Road, also spelled Rajvithi (, ) is a major road in Bangkok, Thailand. It begins in Ratchathewi district at Sam Liam Din Da ...

(Sang Hi intersection) near the Krungthon Bridge (Sang Hi Bridge) on Ratchawithi road is also the location of the San Chao Mae Thapthim Samsen, a Chinese shrine of

Shui Wei Sheng Niang Shui Wei Sheng Niang (; pinyin: ''Shuǐ wěi shèng niáng''; Thai language, Thai: ''เจ้าแม่ท้ายน้ำ'', ''จุ้ยบ้วยเนี้ย'') is a Hainan Shen (Chinese religion), goddess that is worshiped by the ...

, goddess of the sea according to the belief of

Hainanese Hainanese ( Hainan Romanised: ''Hái-nâm-oe'', Hainanese Pinyin: ''Hhai3 nam2 ue1'', ), also known as Qiongwen (), Qiongyu () or Hainan Min () is a group of Min Chinese varieties spoken in the far southern Chinese island province of Hain ...

since ancient times, similar to

Mazu Mazu or Matsu is a sea goddess in Chinese folk religion, Chinese Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism. She is also known by several other names and titles. Mazu is the deified form of Lin Moniang (), a shamaness from Fujian who is said to ...

. It is considered to be her oldest shrine in Bangkok, believed to have been built since the reign of King Nangklao. Samsen road is also the administrative boundary line in the following ''

khwaeng A ''khwaeng'' (, ) is an administrative subdivision used in the fifty districts of Bangkok and a few other city municipalities in Thailand. Currently, there are 180 ''khwaeng'' in Bangkok. A ''khwaeng'' is roughly equivalent to a ''tambon'' in ot ...

s'' (sub-districts): * Chana Songkhram (left) and Talat Yot (right) in Phra Nakhon district from Bang Lamphu intersection to Nararat Sathan bridge * Wat Sam Phraya (left) and

Ban Phan Thom Ban Phan Thom (, ) is a community and a ''khwaeng'' (sub-district) of Phra Nakhon District, Bangkok. History Ban Phan Thom is a traditional community since the early Rattanakosin period alike Ban Bu and Ban Chang Lo in Thonburi's Bangkok Noi ...

(right) in Phra Nakhon district from the Nararat Sathan bridge to Bang Khun Phrom intersection * Wat Sam Phraya (left) and Bang Khun Phrom (right) in Phra Nakhon district, from Bang Khun Phrom intersection to Thewet Naruemit bridge * Wachiraphayaban (left) and

(right) in Dusit district, from the Thewet Naruemit to Sophon bridges

References

{{coord, 13, 47, 0.41, N, 100, 30, 43.63, E, type:adm3rd_region:TH-10, display=title Phra Nakhon district Dusit district Neighbourhoods of Bangkok Streets in Bangkok Populated places on the Chao Phraya River Buildings and structures on the Chao Phraya River