King Taksin the Great.
Pattaya officials and business leaders marked the 244th
anniversary of the coronation of King Taksin the Great, who was adopted by
Pattaya as its founding father.
The five-hour ceremony at the King Taksin the Great Monument in front of
Pattaya City Hall Dec. 28 was led by Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome and attended
by businesspeople and club members. Both Hindu and Buddhist observances were
made, with Tomayantee presiding over the Hindu part and 10 monks changing
Buddhist mantras to offer blessings to the HM King.
The ceremony started around 7 a.m. with the lighting of candles and incense
to worship the “Three Gems.” Buddhist monks then performed a religious
ceremony, which was followed by a worship ceremony. This was followed by
Thai dance and Muay Thai boxing demonstrations.
After the show, all local officials, along with state and private
representatives presented flower trays in front of the King Taksin Monument.
Somdet Phrachao Taksin Maharaj was born April 17, 1734 and became the only
King of the Thonburi Kingdom, taking the throne Dec. 28, 1768 and reigning
until his death - and the start of the current Chakri Dynasty in 1782. He is
greatly revered by Thais for leadership in liberating Siam from Burmese
occupation after the second fall of capital Ayutthaya in 1767, and the
subsequent unification of Siam after it fell under various warlords.
He established the city of Thonburi, across the Chao Phraya River from the
current Bangkok, as the new capital, as Ayutthaya had been almost completely
destroyed by invaders. His reign was characterized by numerous wars fought
to repel new Burmese invasions and to subjugate the northern Thai kingdom of
Lanna, the Laotian principalities and Cambodia.
Upon coronation at age 34, he assumed the official name of Boromraja IV, but
is known in Thai history as King Taksin, a combination of his popular name,
Phya Tak, and his first name, Sin, or the King of Thonburi.
Taksin’s father was at least partly Chinese and his mother Siamese. He was
said to believe that even the forces of nature were under his control and
this faith led him to attempt tasks which others called impossible. He never
had time, however, to build Thonburi into a great city, as he was fully
occupied with suppression of internal and external enemies, as well as
territorial expansion throughout his reign.
Taksin’s ties to the Pattaya area stem from 1767, when he somehow battled
his way out of a besieged Ayutthaya and fled to Chonburi and Rayong to raise
an army of 500 to return to free the capital.
In 1981 the Thai Cabinet passed a resolution to bestow on King Taksin the
honorary title of “the Great.” The date of his coronation, Dec. 28, is the
official day of homage to the king, although it is not designated as a
public holiday.
Chonburi marked King Taksin Day with public officials and residents joining
Gov. Komsan Ekachai in laying flowers at the King Taksin the Great Monument
there.
Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome leads
city officials in commemorating King Taksin Day at city hall
