#thai history

[sound-and-vision-inspiration]

Wat Arun

The Temple of the Dawn

One of Thailand's best known landmarks and named after the Hindu god Aruna.

The temple has existed since the 17th Century, stretching back to the Ayutthaya era but it's most celebrated feature, the giant central Prang (spire) was constructed in the nineteenth century and was completed in the year ManSuang is set.

The spire represents the mythological sacred mountain, Mount Meru and the four smaller prangs that form a square around it are dedicated to Phra Phai, the wind god.

The prangs are decorated with shards of porcelain and tropical snail shells which give it an iridescent glow when the sun hits it.

The temple was once home to the famous Emerald Buddha, the sacred image of Thailand. It was placed there by the man who would become Rama 1 but when he shifted his capital over the river and had the Grand Palace built, the Emerald Buddha was taken and placed in the newly built Wat Phra Kaew, which stands in the grounds of the Grand Palace.

Apo likes to visit the temple every year for a photo with his favourite sandstone cat.

[sonyaheaneyauthor]

26th December 2004: The moment the Indian Ocean tsunami hit Ao Nang, Krabi Province, Thailand.

In Krabi 476 people were killed, nearly a thousand went missing, and over a thousand were injured.

The earthquake that triggered the tsunami was the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Asia. Hundreds of thousands of people were killed across multiple countries.

[pokadandelion]

Their Majesties, King Bhumibol of Thailand and Queen Sirikit alongside King Frederik IX of Denmark and Queen Ingrid during a state visit to Denmark.

[memories-of-ancients]

Gold and ruby ring, Ayutthaya kingdom (Thaliand), 15th-16th century

from Sotheby's

[heaven-is-in-your-arms-series]

A Brief Look at the Thai Mani People

The Maniq or Mani people are an indigenous hunter-gatherer society, found in the Southern areas of modern day Thailand.

They traditionally live nomadic lives in the forests, living off what they can hunt and forage for. Trading goods and moving around as necessary.

Unfortunately deforestation and mono farming has threatened their traditional way of life.

The Mani people are thought to be related to the Semang populations of Malaysia. Both groups have dark skin and curly hair.

Sadly, these people have faced various forms of discrimination over the years and have been given colloquial names which refer to them as being savages.

Khanung

In 1906, an orphan Semang boy was sent to the Thai court where he was perceived as an "adopted son" of king Chulalongkorn.

In Art

In the Lakhon Nok dance drama, Sang Thong, the disguise the hero dons is traditionally supposed to resemble the Mani.

In 1906 King Chulalongkorn wrote a Lakhon Nai dance drama called Ngo Pa, which is inspired by his visit to the South, where he encountered Semang people.

In the recent Thai drama Beyond Destiny, there is a character who appears to be Mani or Semang, although it has not been explicitly stated.

I haven't finished the drama yet, so far her character is cute, if a bit childish. I am hoping she won't just turn out to be comic relief.

[scarefox]

They already knew english in that time period? Whatever time that is... but they also have print and photography... i literally don't know anything about thai history, except that they all didn't have last names just a few decades ago (I learned that form Perths yt video on thai names) 😅

[captainsublimecollectionene-blog]

https://x.com/wwin95782/status/1712424806585634841?t=46tEBZwcPak1oZez_-yhzw&s=09

For those who study Thai history and need to learn Thai language, l hope this helps.

Cheers,

[dimplesandfierceeyes]

Is the reason you researched soap plants in 18th century Thailand is for 'The Supreme art of War....'??😂

Haha yes! I did a lot of research for that fic, mainly on clothes and military operations as well as clothing, which was tricky enough to do in English (I'm sure if I spoke Thai there would have been far more resources for me to look at)

But the soap thing was the one that stood out the most haha. I thought at first it would be simple, after all lye soap had been around for centuries and the less harsh castile soap had been developed in Europe in the 1600s so my first research question was just: had soap made it to Thailand, which I thought would be a simple yes.

It was not.

I couldn't find any reference to soap in Thailand until much later. Of course that doesn't mean it didn't exist and wouldn't have been readily available. It just means the sources I was able to consult (a very meagre handful of open source online materials) didn't reference it. Which still left me needing a new research question.

I knew that saponins from plant sources had been used as cleaning agents for millenia in Europe so I started there. Further research showed that there was a well documented use of soap plants in India, too, which suggested I was on the right track so I started looking into indigenous Thai plant life and, to my surprise and delight, came across an entire research paper on the subject, which just happened to be based in exactly the region of Thailand that my fic was set - Detergent Plants of Northern Thailand: Potential Sources of Natural Saponins

As the title suggests, these are just potential sources so this is not evidence that these were the plants that were definitely used, however among them were plants that were used in India, so had some precedence for actual historic use as a detergent. Then from those, I chose one with the most obvious name so that its use would be apparent to readers: soapnut.

Anyway, I'm sure when you asked this question, you weren't looking for an entire history of my research on this topic but I love nerding out so you got it anyway haha

[historyandarthijinks]

#12 History Shorts

This is Sunanda Kumariratana, a queen consort of Siam, which is now modern day Thailand. She was known as the “Wrecked Queen”. She earned her nickname due to a myth, which is now more wildly to be believed wrong due to the king’s diary depicting people having tried to save her.

In Siam, specifically during the reign of the Chakri Dynasty, it became a capital offense punishable by death to touch the queen. 

The myth goes like this...

The queen consort and her daughter were on a boat when an accident occurred and both drowned. No one dared to touch the queen though to save her life, as it was punishable by death.

The myth certainly isn’t true, but there is a person in history quite deserving of such a fate who met a fairly similar

- The Soviet Dictator, Joseph Stalin

Joseph Stalin died of a massive hemorrhage stroke, however his health could’ve been both better well taken care of, and the doctors would’ve been willing to try to resuscitate him if he hadn’t already sent so many of his previous doctors to gulags. 

[funfunrumine]

The Empress of Ayodhaya

Battle for the throne of Ayodhaya

With the story of an inspiring woman, “Mae Yua”, another name for “Thao Sri Sudachan”, and her path to becoming the “Queen” of Ayutthaya, to a great duty that is wagered with power and heart.

Director

San Srikeawlor

Creator & Script Writer

Sirilux Srisukon

Broadcast date and time

Mae Yua series starts with the first episode on Thursday, October 24th, every Wednesday - Thursday at 8:30 p.m. (GTM+7)

Watch live TV channel one31 TV version | via the oneD app UNCUT version and Netflix

Official Trailer

Cast

[ragsweas]

Yo just read the modern History of thailand in summary and wtf?????

[sound-and-vision-inspiration]

SongWat Road, Bangkok

A historic road in the Samphanthawong district, part of Bangkok's Chinatown.

Many old buildings remain, some over a hundred years old.

In the film, ManSuang is located in what would be this area today.

[valkyries-things]

BAJRAKITIYABHA MAHIDOL // PRINCESS OF THAILAND

“She is a Thai princess and diplomat of Thailand, the first grandchild of King Bhumibol and Queen Sirikit of Thailand, and the only one of the seven children of King Vajiralongkorn born to his first wife Princess Soamsawali. In December 2022, Bajrakitiyabha collapsed as a result of a heart condition while out walking her dogs. As of June 2024, she remains in a coma and is not expected to recover.”

[memories-of-ancients]

Gold and ruby ring, Thailand, 16th century

from Sotheby's

[heaven-is-in-your-arms-series]

Fort Mahakan Community

I made myself sad today when my research into the historic walls of Bangkok led me to discover the historic community that once resided by the remaining city wall near Fort Mahakan.

Traditional wooden houses, some of which were built back when Rama the 3rd was the King, lined the lane as you walked through the gate in the wall.

Narrow alleyways and quiet homes created a calm intimate atmosphere.

Many of the ancient homes were between 100 to 200 years old. Some had once belonged to court officials.

This historic community was the last to survive on the outskirts of Rattanakosin Island.

Once notorious as a place to buy fire crackers and fireworks and accused of being a slum, the residents worked hard to clean up the area and attempted to negotiate so that the planned park would still be built but leaving the historic houses in place, with their residents to look after the park.

One of the homes there was the first Likay theatre where common folk could go to watch the traditional form of entertainment.

Many traditional craftsfolk carried on the work of generations there. Building beautiful traditional birdcages and traditional clay miniatures 'Por Gae,' commonly worshipped by those in the performing arts, among other ancient crafts.

Sadly all attempts at negotiation ultimately failed and the community was finally evicted after a battle that stretched on for years and the historic houses were all torn down or in some cases, dismantled by residents so they can rebuild them elsewhere. An ability which was a feature of traditional Thai houses.

The new park has apparently not been much of a success.

While green spaces are undoubtedly vital, it is a shame when it comes at the cost of history and community.