Thonburi

For other uses, see Thonburi (disambiguation).

The village of Thonburi, on the right (western) bank of the Chao Phraya (here in the lower left corner of the map), facing the fortress of Bangkok, during the 1688 Siege of Bangkok.

Thon Buri (Thai: ธนบุรี) is an area of modern Bangkok. It was capital of Thailand from 1767 to 1782, during the reign of King Taksin, after the previous capital Ayutthaya was sacked by the Burmese. It is located on the opposite bank of Chao Phraya River to Bangkok. Before being made the capital, Thon Buri was an important garrison town at the mouth of the river.

King Rama I moved the capital to Bangkok in 1782. Thon Buri remained an independent town and province, until it was merged into Bangkok in 1971. Thon Buri stayed less developed than the other side of the river. Many of the traditional small waterways, Khlongs, still exist there, while they are nearly gone from the other side of the river.

In 1950, Bangkok had around 1.3m people, and the municipality of Thon Buri around 400,000. In 1970 Thon Buri was Thailand's second largest city proper with around 600,000 residents.

Administration

At the time of the merger, Thonburi province consisted of 9 districts (Amphoe).

1. Thon Buri District (Thai: อำเภอธนบุรี)
2. Bangkok Yai District (Thai: อำเภอบางกอกใหญ่)
3. Khlong San District (Thai: อำเภอคลองสาน)
4. Taling Chan District (Thai: อำเภอตลิ่งชัน)
5. Bangkok Noi District (Thai: อำเภอบางกอกน้อย)
6. Bang Khun Thian District (Thai: อำเภอบางขุนเทียน)
7. Phasi Charoen District (Thai: อำเภอภาษีเจริญ)
8. Nong Khaem District (Thai: อำเภอหนองแขม)
9. Rat Burana District (Thai: อำเภอราษฎร์บูรณะ)

As of 2012, these have been reorganized into 15 districts.

References

• Smithies, Michael (2002), Three military accounts of the 1688 "Revolution" in Siam, Itineria Asiatica, Orchid Press, Bangkok, ISBN 974-524-005-2.
• Syamananda, Rong (1990). A History of Thailand. Chulalongkorn University. 
• Wyatt, David K. (2003). Thailand: A Short History. Yale University Press. 
• Knoles, Gordon D. Bangkok Page 56-57, Temples to visit in Thonburi. Retrieved, September 20, 2011 from http://www.thailand-delights.com/page1106.html - http://www.thailand-delights.com/page1107.html
• Thonburi Area | Bangkok Travel Guide & Info, Travel Information and Tourist Guide for Bangkok City. Retrieved, September 20, 2011 from http://www.bangkok-bangkok.org/sights-attractions-in-bangkok-thailand/thonburi-aera/4/
• Bangkok Palace - ComeThailand.com. Retrieved, September 20, 2011 from http://www.comethailand.com/bangkok-palace/blog
• The King Taksin Monument - a Monument to a Great Warrior. Retrieved, September 20, 2011 from http://www.tour-bangkok-legacies.com/king-taksin-monument.html
• Wat Arun - Temple of the Dawn. Retrieved, September 21, 2011 from http://www.bangkoksite.com/WatArun/WatArunPage.html