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

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in 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 populatio ...

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

Bang Lamphu Bang Lamphu or spelled Banglampoo and Banglamphu ( th, บางลำพู, ; 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 da ...

within Phra Nakhon district and wends northeast to Dusit district as far as it ends at

Kiakkai Kiakkai or Kiak Kai ( th, เกียกกาย, ) 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 ...

intersection, covering 4.6 km (2.8 mi). It runs parallel to east Chao Phraya river all the route.

History

Samsen began in

Ayutthaya period 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 ...

(1351–1767) in the reign of King

Narai King Narai the Great ( th, สมเด็จพระนารายณ์มหาราช, , ) or Ramathibodi III ( th, รามาธิบดีที่ ๓ ) was the 27th monarch of Ayutthaya Kingdom, the 4th and last monarch 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 A paddy field is a flooded field of arable land used for growing semiaquatic crops, most notably rice and taro. It originates from the Neolithic rice-farming cultures of the Yangtze River basin in southern China, associated with pre ...

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 fl ...

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 Phra Phutthayotfa Chulalok Maharaj (, 20 March 1737 – 7 September 1809), personal name Thongduang (), also known as Rama I, was the founder of the Rattanakosin Kingdom and the first monarch of the reigning Chakri dynasty of Siam (now Thai ...

(Rama I) and King

Nangklao Nangklao ( th, พระบาทสมเด็จพระนั่งเกล้าเจ้าอยู่หัว, ; 31 March 1788 – 2 April 1851), birth name Thap ( th, ทับ), also styled Rama III, was the third king of Siam ...

(Rama III) of Rattanakosin kingdom, Christians

Khmers The Khmer people ( km, ជនជាតិខ្មែរ, ) are a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Cambodia. They comprise over 90% of Cambodia's population of 17 million.

and

Annamese The Vietnamese people ( vi, người Việt, lit=Viet people) or Kinh people ( vi, người Kinh) are a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to modern-day Northern Vietnam and Southern China (Jing Islands, Dongxing, Guangxi). The native lan ...

(Vietnamese) who escaped crackdowns in their country migrated to

Siam 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 bo ...

(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 A wat ( km, វត្ត, ; lo, ວັດ, ; th, วัด, ; khb, 「ᩅᨯ᩠ᨰ」(waD+Dha); nod, 「ᩅ᩠ᨯ᩶」（w+Da2)) is a type of Buddhist temple and Hindu temple in Cambodia, Laos, East Shan State, Yunnan, the Southern Pro ...

and Wat Thewarat Kunchorn. In the past, the area of Samsen to

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

Nonthaburi Nonthaburi ( th, นนทบุรี, ) 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 su ...

used to be a place where abundance 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 th ...

(''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 are 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 Pali () is a Middle Indo-Aryan liturgical language native to the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist '' Pāli Canon'' or '' Tipiṭaka'' as well as the sacred language of '' Theravāda'' Bud ...

or from

Bahasa Melayu Malay (; ms, Bahasa Melayu, links=no, Jawi: , Rencong: ) is an Austronesian language that is an official language of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, and that is also spoken in East Timor and parts of the Philippines and ...

. Legendarily a floating

Buddha statue Much Buddhist art uses depictions of the historical Buddha, Gautama Buddha, which are known as Buddharūpa (literally, "Form of the Awakened One") in Sanskrit and Pali. These may be statues or other images such as paintings. The main figure i ...

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 Luang por (; , ) means "venerable father" and is used as a title for respected senior Buddhist monastics. ''Luang'' is a Thai word meaning "royal" or "venerable". It is used in both family context and to express respect for monastics. ''Por'' is ...

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 ( th, ห้วยขวาง, ) 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 ...

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

Road

Although it is short, Samsen road runs through historic and important places such as

Bang Khun Phrom Palace The Bang Khun Phrom Palace ( th, วังบางขุนพรหม) 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 ...

and

Bank of Thailand The Bank of Thailand (BOT) ( Abrv: ธปท.; th, ธนาคารแห่งประเทศไทย, ) is the central bank of Thailand. History The Bank of Thailand (BOT) was first set up as the Thai National Banking Bureau. The Ban ...

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

Saint Gabriel's College Saint Gabriel's College ( th, โรงเรียนเซนต์คาเบรียล) 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 stu ...

, Vajira Hospital, Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University,

Sukhothai Palace Sukhothai Palace or Sukhodaya Palace ( th, วังศุโขทัย; ) 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 ...

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

and Royal Pier, Thavasuki, Wat Bot Samsen,

Boon Rawd Brewery Boon Rawd Brewery ( th, บริษัท บุญรอดบริวเวอรี่ จำกัด) is a well-known Thai brewery founded in 1933 by Phraya Bhirom Bhakdi (Boonrawd Sreshthaputra). It also produces soft drinks and bottled dr ...

Headquarters and

Sappaya-Sapasathan The Sappaya-Sapasathan ( th, สัปปายะสภาสถาน, , ) 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 on the left ba ...

, the new Parliament House. The road also a location of five piers for

Chao Phraya Express Boat The Chao Phraya Express Boat ( th, เรือด่วนเจ้าพระยา ''Ruea Duan Chao Phraya'') is a transportation service in Thailand operating on the Chao Phraya River. It provides riverine express transportation between sto ...

: 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 Bang Phlat Intersection where Ratchawithi Road ends Ratchawithi Road, also spelled Rajvithi ( th, ถนนราชวิถี, ) is a major road in Bangkok, Thailand. It begins in Ratchathewi district at Sam Liam Din Daeng Junction, where it ...

(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: ''Chaomae Thongkham'', ''Chaomae Thapthim'') is a Hainan goddess that is worshiped by the Hainanese around the world, especially they who lives on the waterfront area. She is of ...

, goddess of the sea according to the belief of

Hainanese Hainanese ( Hainan Romanised: ', Hainanese Pinyin: ',), also known as Qióngwén, Heng2 vun2 () or Qióngyǔ, Heng2 yi2 (), is a group of Min Chinese varieties spoken in the southern Chinese island province of Hainan and Overseas Chinese ...

since ancient times, similar to

Mazu Mazu or Matsu is a Chinese sea goddess also known by several other names and titles. She is the deified form of the legendary figure Lin Mo or Lin Moniang, a Fujianese shamaness whose life span is traditionally dated from 960 to 987. ...

. 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 oth ...

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 ( th, บ้านพานถม, ) 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 Chan ...

(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 Dusit (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