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Chaiya

Chaiya

Chaiya (Thai: ไชยา) is a district (Amphoe) and town in southern Thailand in Surat Thani Province. The town itself has a population of 12,948 (5,442 in Talad Chaiya and 7,506 in Phumriang) (2004), while the whole district has a population of 46,981.

Geography

The geographical location of the district center is . Neighboring districts are (from the south clockwise) Tha Chang, Kapoe (Ranong Province), Phato (Chumphon Province), and Tha Chana. To the east is the Gulf of Thailand, with the cape Sui marking the northern end of the Bandon Bay. The eastern part of the district consists of mostly flat low coastal areas, while to the west are the mountains of the Phuket mountain range.

History

Chaiya is one of the oldest cities of Thailand. It was a regional capital in the Srivijaya kingdom of the 5th to 13th century - some historians even claim that it was the capital for the kingdom for some time, but this is largely disputed. The temple Wat Phra Borom That is centered around a reconstructed pagoda in Srivijaya style. The nearby branch of the National Museum has several relicts of that time on display. Two more former pagodas nearby are now only brick mounds. Inscription 23, as it was labeled by Prince Damrong in his Collected Inscriptions of Siam, is now attributed to Wat Hua Wiang in Chaiya. Dated to the year 697 of the Mahasakkarat era (i.e. 775 CE), the inscription on a Bai Sema shaped stone tells about the King of Srivijaya having erected a stupa at that site, possibly the one of Wat Phra Borom That. Another important temple near Chaiya is the Wat Suan Mohkha Phalaram (also known by the short name Suan Mok, or Wat Than Nam Lai Monastery of Flowing Water), a forest temple. The temple was founded in 1932 by Phra Buddhadasa (1906-1993), a highly revered Buddhist teacher. In 1959 the temple was relocated to the present 150 acre (0.6 km²) site.

Traffic

Chaiya is on the southern railway line, Chaiya Railway Station is the main railway station of the district; the Asian highway AH2 also passes the city.

Administration

AH2 The district Chaiya is subdivided into 9 communes (tambon). These are further subdivided into 54 villages (muban). The tambon Talad Chaiya and Phumriang have township (thesaban tambon) status.

External links

- [http://www.thailandmuseum.com/thaimuseum_eng/chaiya/main.htm Chaiya National Museum]
- [http://www.suanmokkh.org/archive/skb/garden1a.htm Suan Mokkh - The garden of liberation]
- [http://www.chaiyacity.org/ Chaiya City Website] Chaiya ja:チャイヤー郡 th:อำเภอไชยา

Thai language

The Thai language (ภาษาไทย, phasa thai, meaning "the language of Thais"), is the national and official language of Thailand and the mother tongue of the Thai people, Thailand's dominant ethnic group. Thai is a member of the Tai group of the Tai-Kadai language family. The Tai-Kadai languages are thought to have originated in what is now southern China, and some linguists have proposed links to the Austroasiatic, Austronesian, or Sino-Tibetan language families. It is a tonal and analytic language. The combination of tonality, a complex orthography, relational markers and a distinctive phonology can make Thai difficult to learn for speakers of many unrelated and highly differing languages.

Languages and dialects

Standard Thai, also known as Central Thai or Siamese, is the official language of Thailand, spoken by about 25 million people (1990) including speakers of Bangkok Thai (although the latter is sometimes considered as a separate dialect). Khorat Thai is spoken by about 400,000 (1984) in Nakhon Ratchasima; it occupies a linguistic position somewhere between Central Thai and Isan on a dialect continuum, and may be considered a variant or dialect of either. In addition to Standard Thai, Thailand is home to other related Tai languages, including:
- Isan (Northeastern Thai), the language of the Isan region of Thailand, is considered by some to be a dialect of the Lao language, which it very closely resembles (although it is written in the Thai alphabet. It is spoken by about 15 million people (1983).
- Nyaw language, spoken mostly in Nakhon Phanom province, Sakhon Nakhon province, Udon Thani province of Northeast Thailand.
- Galung language, spoken in Nakhon Phanom province of Northeast Thailand.
- Lü (Tai Lue, Dai), spoken by about 78,000 (1993) in northern Thailand.
- Northern Thai (Lanna, Kam Meuang, or Thai Yuan), spoken by about 6 million (1983) in the formerly independent kingdom of Lanna (Chiang Mai).
- Phuan, spoken by an unknown number of people in central Thailand and Isan.
- Phu Thai, spoken by about 156,000 around Nakhon Phanom province (1993).
- Shan (Thai Luang, Tai Long, Thai Yai), spoken by about 56,000 in north-west Thailand along the border with the Shan States of Burma (1993).
- Song, spoken by about 20,000 to 30,000 in central and northern Thailand(1982).
- Suay Language, spoken around Surin province. It is a mixture of the Thai and Khmer languages.
- Southern Thai (Pak Dtai), spoken about 5 million (1990).
- Thai Dam, spoken by about 20,000 (1991) in Isan and Saraburi province. Statistics are from [http://www.ethnologue.com/ Ethnologue 2003-10-4]. Many of these languages are spoken by larger numbers outside of Thailand. Most speakers of dialects and minority languages speak Central Thai as well, since it is the language used in schools and universities all across the kingdom. Standard Thai is composed of several distinct registers, forms for different social contexts:
- Street Thai: informal, without polite terms of address, as used between close relatives and friends.(ภาษาพูด)
- Elegant Thai: official and written version, includes respectful terms of address; used in simplified form in newspapers.(ภาษาเขียน)
- Rhetorical Thai: used for public speaking.
- Religious Thai: used when discussing Buddhism or addressing monks.
- Royal Thai: used when addressing members of the royal family or describing their activities. (ราชาศัพท์) Less-educated Thais usually can speak at only the first and second levels, though they will understand the others.

Script

Main article: Thai alphabet The Thai alphabet derived from the Khmer alphabet (อักขระเขมร), which is modeled after the Brahmic script from the Indic family. Much like the Burmese adopted the Mon script (which also has Indic origins), the Thais adopted and modified Khmer script to create their own writing system. While the oldest known inscription in the Khmer language dates from 611 CE, inscriptions in Thai writing began to appear around 1292 CE. Notable features include: #It is an abugida script, in which the implicit vowel is a short /a/ for consonants standing alone and a short /o/ if the initial consonant or cluster is followed by another consonant. #Tone markers are placed above the initial consonant of a syllable or on the last consonant of an initial consonant cluster. #Vowels associated with consonants are nonsequential: they can be located before, after, above or below their associated consonant, or in a combination of these positions. The latter in particular causes problems for computer encoding and text rendering. There is no universal standard for transliterating Thai into English. For example, the name of King Rama IX, the present monarch, is transliterated variously as Bhumibol, Phumiphon, or many other versions. Guide books, text books and dictionaries may each follow different systems. For this reason, most language courses recommend that learners master the Thai alphabet. In scholarly usage, French scholars tend to romanize Thai with a letter-for-letter transcription according to the original Sanskrit value of the characters. Anglophone scholars generally prefer either a simplified phonetic rendering or some variation on the International Phonetic Alphabet. This article uses a simplified IPA system which does not indicate tone or vowel length. The Thai Royal Institute [http://www.royin.go.th/] publishes sets of rules for transliterating Thai words into the Roman alphabet and vice versa (the Royal Thai General System of Transcription), but these are far from universally applied. The ISO published an international standard for the transliteration of Thai into Roman script in September 2003 [http://www.iso.org/iso/en/CatalogueDetailPage.CatalogueDetail?CSNUMBER=20574&ICS1=1&ICS2=140&ICS3=10]. From Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, there is an online tool available which romanizes Thai texts, see [http://www.arts.chula.ac.th/~ling/tts/].

Grammar

From the perspective of linguistic typology, Thai can be considered to be an analytic language. The word order is Subject-Verb-Object, although the subject is often omitted. As in many Asian languages, the Thai pronominal system varies according to the sex and relative status of speaker and audience.

Adjectives

Adjectives follow the noun. A duplicated adjective is used for emphasis, in English indicated by "rather" or "-ish", e.g. คนอ้วนๆ (khon uan uan, IPA ) "a rather fat person." Comparatives take the form "A X กว่า (kwa, IPA ) B" (A is more X than B). The superlative is expressed as A X ที่สุด (thisut, IPA )).

Verbs

Verbs do not inflect (i.e. do not change with person, tense, voice, mood or number) nor are there any participles. Duplication conveys the idea of doing the verb a lot. The passive voice is indicated by the insertion of โดน (don, IPA )) or ถูก (thuk, IPA )) before the verb. Tense is conveyed by tense markers before or after the verb: กำลัง (kamlang, IPA ) before the verb for ongoing action (like English -ing form) or อยู่ (yuu, IPA ) after the verb for the present; จะ (cha, IPA ) before the verb for the future; ได้ (dai, IPA ) before the verb (or a time expression) for the past.

Adverbs

Many adverbs are the same as adjectives. Intensity can be expressed by a duplicated adjective. Adverbs usually follow the verb.

Nouns

Nouns are uninflected and have no gender; there are no plural forms or articles. Plurals are expressed by adding "nouns of multitude" (ลักษณนาม) or classifiers in the form of noun-number-classifier, e.g. "teacher five person" for "five teachers". While in English, such classifiers are usually absent ("four chairs") or optional ("two bottles of beer" or "two beers"), a classifier is almost always used in Thai (hence "chair four item" and "beer two bottle").

Pronouns

Subject pronouns are often omitted, while nicknames are often used where English would use a pronoun. There are specialised pronouns in the royal and sacred Thai languages. The following are appropriate for conversational use:

Particles

The particles are often untranslatable words added to the end of a sentence to indicate respect, a request, encouragement or other moods (similar to the use of intonation in English), as well as varying the level of formality. They are not used in written Thai. The most common particles indicating respect are ครับ (khrap, IPA with a high tone, the "r" sound is usually omitted) for a man, and ค่ะ (kha, IPA with a falling tone) for a woman; these can also be used to indicate an affirmative. Other common particles are:

Phonology

Tones

There are five phonemic tones: middle, low, high, rising and falling. They are indicated in the written script by a combination of the class of the initial consonant (high, mid or low), vowel length (long or short), closing consonant (unvoiced/plosive or voiced/sonorant) and sometimes one of four tone marks. The tonal rules are shown in the following chart: The letters ห (high class) and sometimes อ (mid class) are used as silent letters before another consonant to produce the correct tone. In polysyllabic words, an initial high class consonant with an implicit vowel renders the following syllable also high class. There are a few exceptions to this system, notably the pronouns chan and khao, which are both pronounced with a high tone rather than the rising tone indicated by the script (in an informal conversation, generally when these words are recited or read in public, they are pronouced in rising tone).

Consonants

Thai distinguishes among three voice/aspiration patterns for plosive consonants:
- unvoiced, unaspirated
- unvoiced, aspirated
- voiced, unaspirated Where English has only a distinction between the voiced, unaspirated and the unvoiced, aspirated , Thai distinguishes a third sound which is neither voiced nor aspirated, which occurs in English only as an allophone of , approximately the sound of the p in "spin." There is similarly an alveolar , , triplet. In the velar series there is a , pair and in the postalveolar series the , pair. In each cell below, the first line indicates International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), the second indicates the Thai characters in initial position (more letters appearing in the same box have identical pronunciation). ^- the glottal plosive is implied after a short vowel without final, or the silent อ before a vowel.

Vowels

The basic vowels of the Thai language, from front to back and close to open, are given in the following table, The top entry in every cell is the symbol from the International phonetic alphabet, the second entry gives the spelling in the Thai alphabet, where a dash (–) indicates the position of the initial consonant after which the vowel is pronounced. A second dash indicates that a final consonant must follow. The vowels each exist in long-short pairs: these are distinct phonemes forming unrelated words in Thai, but usually transliterated the same: เขา (khao) means he or she, while ขาว (khao) means white. The long-short pairs are as follows: The basic vowels can be combined into diphthongs as follows: Additionally, there are three triphthongs, all of which are long: For a guide to written vowels, see the Thai alphabet page.

Vocabulary

Other than compound words and words of foreign origin, most words are monosyllabic. Historically, words have most often been imported from Sanskrit and Pali; Buddhist terminology was a particularly fruitful source of these. Since the beginning of the 20th century, however, the English language has been the greatest influence. Thailand also uses a distinctive six hour clock in addition to the 24 hour clock.

References

- Higbie, James and Thinsan, Snea. Thai Reference Grammar. The Structure of Spoken Thai. Bangkok: Orchid Press, 2003. ISBN 9748304965.
- Segaller, Denis. Thai Without Tears: A Guide to Simple Thai Speaking. Bangkok: BMD Book Mags, 1999. ISBN 9748711528.
- Smyth, David. Thai. An Essential Grammar. London: Routledge, 2002. ISBN 0415226147.

External links

- [http://wikitravel.org/en/Thai_phrasebook Thai phrasebook in wikitravel]
- [http://www.ethnologue.org/show_language.asp?code=THJ Ethnologue write-up on Thai]
- [http://www.thai-language.com/ Thai-language.com]
- [http://www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/home/sampa/thai.htm IPA and SAMPA for Thai]
- [http://www.kisa.ca/thai Thai learning resources] (kisa.ca)
- [http://www.websters-online-dictionary.org/definition/Thai-english/ Websters Thai-English Dictionary]
- [http://www.oup.co.uk/isbn/0-19-861068-8?view=00&promo=webiol Oxford English-Thai Dictionary]
- [http://lexitron.nectec.or.th/ LEXiTRON Thai-English, English-Thai Dictionary]
- [http://www.suparsit.com/ Parsit English-Thai Web Translation]
- [http://longdo.ex.nii.ac.jp/ Longdo Thai-English/French/German/Japanese Dictionary]
- [http://www.thai2english.com/ Thai-English Transliteration and Dictionary]
- [http://www.learningthai.com/ Learningthai.com Thai Language Resources]
- [http://www.geocities.com/siamsmile365/thaiparticles/thaiparticles.htm Thai Particles] (Large list of Thai particles with explanations and example sentences).
- [http://www.guidetothailand.com/thai-script-phrases.htm GuidetoThailand] (Thai script phrase cards on printer friendly pages.) Category:Languages of Thailand Category:Tai-Kadai languages Category:Tonal languages ko:타이어 (언어) ms:Bahasa Thai ja:タイ語 th:ภาษาไทย

Amphoe

A amphoe (sometimes also amphur, Thai: อำเภอ) is the second level administrative subdivision of Thailand. Usually translated as district, amphoe make up the provinces. Amphoe are further subdivided into tambon. Altogether Thailand has 795 districts and 81 minor districts (King Amphoe, กิ่งอำเภอ). The 50 districts of Bangkok are called khet (เขต), but even in official documents are sometimes misnamed as amphoe, the term used before the Bangkok administration reform in 1972. The number of amphoe in a province differs, from only 3 in the smallest provinces up to the 50 urban districts of Bangkok. Also the sizes and population of the amphoe differs, the lowest population is in King Amphoe Ko Kut (Trat Province) with just 2042 citizens, while Amphoe Mueang Samut Prakan (Samut Prakan Province) has 435,122 citizens. Areawise the khet of Bangkok are the smallest - Khet Samphanthawong is the smallest with only 1.4 km² - while the amphoe of the low populated mountain regions are bigger than some provinces - Amphoe Umphang (Tak Province) with 4,325.4 km² is the largest. The names of the Amphoe are usually unique, in a few cases different Thai names have the same name in English due to the flaws of the romanization. The notable exception is however the name Amphoe Chaloem Phra Kiat, which was given to five districts created in 1996 in celebration of the 50th anniversary of King Bhumibol Adulyadej ascension to the throne. Chaloem Phra Kiat (Thai: เฉลิมพระเกียรติ) is a honorific way of addressing a member of the royal family. The districts are led by a District Chief Officer (Nai Amphoe, นายอำเภอ), which is appointed by the Ministry of the Interior. The officer is a subordinate of the provincial governor.

King Amphoe

Minor districts are set up when the administration of areas remote to the district center gets too uncomfortable for the citizen. The minor districts is led by a chief officer (Huana King Amphoe, หัวหน้ากิ่งอำเภอ). Most of the tasks of the Amphoe is transferred to the King Amphoe, however it is still partially a subordinate of the Amphoe it was created from. Once the King Amphoe meets the necessary qualifications to become an Amphoe they are usually promoted. However not every newly created Amphoe has to be a King Amphoe before, if the qualifications are met directly this pahse is skipped. Category:Amphoe Category:Subnational entities Category:Subdivisions of Thailand ja:アムプー th:อำเภอ

Thailand

The Kingdom of Thailand is a country in Southeast Asia, bordering Laos and Cambodia to the east, the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia to the south, and the Andaman Sea and Myanmar to the west. Thailand is also known as Siam, which was the country's official name until May 11, 1949. The word Thai (ไทย) means "freedom" in the Thai language. It is also the name of the Thai people - leading some inhabitants, particularly the sizeable Chinese minority, to continue to use the name Siam.

History

Thailand's origin is traditionally tied to the short-lived kingdom of Sukhothai founded in 1238, after which the larger kingdom of Ayutthaya was established in the mid-14th century. Thai culture was greatly influenced by both China and India. Contact with various European powers began in the 16th century but, despite continued pressure, Thailand is the only Southeast Asian country never to have been taken over by a European power, though Western influence, including the threat of force, led to many reforms in the 19th century and major concessions to British mercantile interests (as such many historians include Thailand in the "informal British Empire"). The Thais are very proud that they were never colonized by a European power. There are two main reasons for this: it was left as a buffer state between parts of Asia that were colonised by the French and the British and Thailand had a series of very able rulers in the 1800s. A mostly bloodless revolution in 1932 led to a constitutional monarchy. Known previously as Siam, the country first changed its name to Thailand in 1939, and definitively in 1949 after reverting to the old name post-World War II. During that conflict Thailand was in a loose alliance with Japan; following its conclusion Thailand became an ally of the United States. Thailand then saw a series of military coups d'état, but progressed towards democracy from the 1980s onward. The official calendar in Thailand is based on the Buddhist Era, which is 543 years ahead of the western calendar. For example, the year AD 1982 is equal to the year 2525 BE. On 26 December 2004 the southwest coast of Thailand was devastated by a tsunami following the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake; in places it was as high as 10 meters. It killed more than 5,000 people in Thailand, half of them tourists.

Politics

The king has little direct power under the constitution but is the anointed protector of Thai Buddhism and a symbol of national identity and unity. The present monarch enjoys a great deal of popular respect and moral authority, which has on occasion been used to resolve political crises. The head of government is the Prime Minister, who is appointed by the king from among the members of the lower house of parliament, usually the leader of the party that can organise a majority coalition government. The bicameral Thai parliament is the National Assembly (รัฐสภา, rathasapha) which consists of a House of Representatives (สภาผู้แทนราษฎร, sapha phuthaen ratsadon) of 500 seats and a Senate (วุฒิสภา, wuthisapha) of 200 seats. Members of both houses are elected by popular vote. The House of Representatives is elected by electoral district (one each), the Senate is elected by province. Members of House of Representatives serve four-year terms, while Senators serve six-year terms. The law court system (ศาล, san) has three layers, the highest judicial body being the Supreme Court (ศาลฎีกา, sandika) whose judges are directly appointed by the monarch. Thailand is an active member of the regional Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Provinces

Association of Southeast Asian Nations Thailand is divided into 75 provinces (จังหวัด, changwat), which are grouped into 5 groups of provinces by location. There are also 2 special governed districts: the capital Bangkok (Krung Thep Maha Nakhon in Thai) and Pattaya. However Pattaya is still part of Chonburi Province, while Bangkok is at provincial level itself. Each province is divided into smaller districts - as of 2000 there are 795 districts (อำเภอ, amphoe), 81 sub-districts (กิ่งอำเภอ, king amphoe) and 50 districts of Bangkok (เขต, khet). However, some parts of the provinces bordering Bangkok are referred to as Greater Bangkok (ปริมณฑล, pari monthon). These Provinces include Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Samut Prakan, Nakhon Pathom, Samut Sakhon. The name of each capital city (เมือง, mueang) is the same as that of the province: for example, the capital of Chiang Mai province (changwat Chiang Mai) is amphoe Mueang Chiang Mai. The 75 provinces are as follows:

Special Governed Districts

:Krung Thep Maha Nakhon (Bangkok), Mueang Pattaya (Pattaya) See also: List of cities in Thailand

Geography

Thailand is home to several distinct geographic regions, partly corresponding to the provincial groups. The north of the country is mountainous, with the highest point being Doi Inthanon at 2,576 m. The northeast consists of the Khorat Plateau, bordered to the east by the Mekong river. The centre of the country is dominated by the predominantly flat Chao Phraya river valley, which runs into the Gulf of Thailand. The south consists of the narrow Kra Isthmus that widens into the Malay Peninsula. The local climate is tropical and characterised by monsoons. There is a rainy, warm, and cloudy southwest monsoon from mid-May to September, as well as a dry, cool northeast monsoon from November to mid-March. The southern isthmus is always hot and humid. Major cities beside the capital Bangkok include Nakhon Ratchasima, Udon Thani, Nakhon Sawan, Chiang Mai, Surat Thani, Phuket and Hat Yai(Songkhla). See also: List of islands of Thailand

Economy

After enjoying the world's highest growth rate from 1985 to 1995 - averaging almost 9% annually - increased speculative pressure on Thailand's currency, the baht, in 1997 led to a crisis that uncovered financial sector weaknesses and forced the government to float the currency. Long pegged at 25 to the US dollar, the baht reached its lowest point of 56 to the US dollar in January 1998 and the economy contracted by 10.2% that same year. The collapse prompted a wider Asian financial crisis. Thailand entered a recovery stage in 1999, expanding 4.2% and grew 4.4% in 2000, largely due to strong exports - which increased about 20% in 2000. Growth was dampened by softening of global economy in 2001, but picked up in the subsequent years due to strong growth in China and the various domestic stimulation programs of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, popularly known as Thaksinomics. Growth in 2003 and 2004 was over 6% annually.[http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/th.html] Substantial industries include electric appliances, components, computer parts and automobiles, while tourism contributes about 5 % of the Thai economy's GDP.

Demographics

Thailand's population is dominated by ethnic Thai and Lao, the latter concentrated in the northeastern Isan region and making up around one third of the population. There is also a large community of Thai Chinese, who have historically played a disproportionately significant role in the economy. Bangkok's Chinatown is located on Yaowarat Road. Other ethnic groups include Malays in the south, Mon, Khmer and various indigenous hill tribes. According to the last census (2000) 94.6% of Thais are Buddhists of the Theravada tradition. Muslims are the second religious group in Thailand at 4.6%. Most of them are ethnic Malays and they are mostly concentrated in the south, where they form a strong majority in four provinces. Christians, mainly Catholics, represent 0.75% of the population. A tiny but influential community of Sikhs and some Hindus also live in the country's cities. The Thai language is Thailand's national language, written in its own alphabet, but many ethnic and regional dialects exist as well as areas where people speak predominantly Isan or Khmer. Although English is widely taught in schools, proficiency is low.

Culture

Muay Thai, or Thai boxing, is the national sport in Thailand and its native martial art. It reached popularity all over the world in the 1990s. Similar martial art styles exist in other southeast Asian countries. The standard greeting in Thailand is a prayer-like gesture called the wai. Taboos include touching someone's head or pointing with the feet, as the head is considered the highest and the foot the lowest part of the body. Stepping over someone, or over food, is considered insulting. Books and other documents are considered the most revered of secular objects - therefore one should not slide a book across a table or place it on the floor. Thailand is a constitutional monarchy and the King is extremely respected and revered. It is illegal to insult the Royal Family. Thai cuisine blends five fundamental tastes: sweet, spicy, sour, bitter and salty.

Miscellaneous topics

- Famous Places in Thailand: Patong, and Karon beach in Phuket, Pattaya, Khao Lak, Chiang Mai, Sukhothai Historical Park
- Communications in Thailand
- Education in Thailand
- Historical parks of Thailand
- Foreign relations of Thailand
- List of Thailand-related topics
- Military of Thailand
- Music of Thailand
- National parks (Thailand)
- Prostitution in Thailand
- Public holidays in Thailand
- Transportation in Thailand
- Buddhist temples in Thailand
- South Thailand insurgency

External links

Official

- [http://www.thaigov.go.th Thaigov.go.th] Royal Government of Thailand
- [http://www.tourismthailand.org Tourism Authority of Thailand] Official tourism website

Other

- [http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/th.html CIA - The World Factbook - Thailand]
- [http://thailand.united.co.uk/ List of organizations providing assistance and help to the victims of Thailand Tsunamis]
-
- [http://www.thailand.alloexpat.com/information_center_thailand.php AlloExpat - Thailand Information Center]
- [http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/thailand Flickr: Photos tagged with Thailand]
- [http://libcom.org/history/articles/thailand Thailand: a working class history] from 1850-2000 Category:ASEAN member states Category:Monarchies Category:Southeast Asian countries zh-min-nan:Thài-kok ko:타이 ms:Thailand ja:タイ王国 th:ประเทศไทย

Surat Thani Province

Surat Thani (often in short Surat, Thai สุราษฎร์ธานี) is the largest of the southern provinces (changwat) of Thailand, on the eastern shore of the Gulf of Thailand. Surat Thani means City of Good People, the title given to the city by King Vajiravudh (Rama VI).

Geography

Neighboring provinces are (from north clockwise) Chumphon, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Krabi, Phang Nga and Ranong. Geographically the center of the province is the coastal plain of the Tapi river, mostly grassland and some mangrove. In the west are limestone mountains of the Phuket range mostly covered with forests. The Khao Sok National Park is located in these mountains. To the east the hills of the Nakhon Si Thammarat (or Bantat) mountain range start to rise, protected in the Tai Rom Yen National Park. Many islands in the Gulf of Thailand belong to the district, including the tourist islands Ko Samui, Ko Pha-ngan, Ko Tao, as well as the Ko Ang Thong marine national park. The main rivers of the Surat Thani province are Tapi River and Phum Duang River, which both drain into the Bandon Bay. Further protected areas are the Khlong Phanom and Kaeng Krung national park, Than Sadet-Ko Pha-ngan marine national park, the non-hunting areas Khao Tha Phet and Nong Thung Thong and the wildlife preserves Khlongsaeng and Khlong Yan.

Economy

In 2001 census, the province was had a GPP about 53,593 million Baht (1,339.8 million US$) and GPP per capita was 59,547 (1,488.7 US$). The main agricultural products of the province are coconut and rambutan. The coconuts are often picked from the tree by specially trained monkey, mostly Pig-tailed Macaques (Macaca nemestrina). The monkey school of late Somporn Saekow is the most famous training center for these monkeys. The rambutan trees were first planted in Surat Thani in 1926 by the Chinese Malay Mr. K. Vong in Ban Na San. An annual rambutan fair is held in beginning of August, including a parade of highly decorated floats on the Tapi river.

Transportation

The province is crossed by the southern railway, with the main railway station located at Phunphin. Parallel to the railway runs the Asian Highway 2. Two regional airports are located in the province - Surat Thani International Airport in Phunphin and Ko Samui airport on Ko Samui. The islands Ko Samui und Ko Phan Ngan are connected with the mainland by ferries, which mostly start at Don Sak.

History

Don Sak Don Sak The area of Surat Thani was already inhabited in prehistoric times by Semang and Malayan tribes. Founded in the 3rd century, until the 13th century the Srivijaya kingdom dominated the Malay Peninsula and much of the island of Java from there. The city Chaiya contains several ruins from Srivijaya times, and was probably a regional capital of the kingdom. Some Thai historians even claim that it was the capital of the kingdom itself for some time, but this is generally disputed. Wiang Sa was another main settlement of that time. After the fall of the Srivijaya it was divided into the cities Chaiya and Thatong (now Kanchanadit). While Chaiya was administrated directly from the capital, Thatong was controlled by the Nakhon Si Thammarat kingdom. In 1899 they were merged into the province Chaiya. In 1915 the court of the Monthon Chumphon was moved to Bandon, which received its new name Surat Thani on July 29 1915 during a visit of King Vajiravudh (Rama VI). In 1933 the monthon was dissolved, so the province became the first level administrative subdivision. The provincial administration was at first located in a building in Tha Kham (Amphoe Phunphin). It was moved to the city of Surat Thani in World War II, but when the Japanese invaded Thailand on December 8 1941 was building caught fire and burned down. It was reopened in 1954. On March 19 1982 it was destroyed again by bomb planted by communist rebels, killing 5 people. A new building was built at a different location in the city, the former site of the provincial hall is now the city pillar shrine (Lak Mueang).

Symbols

Administrative divisions

city pillar shrine The province is subdivided into 18 districts (Amphoe) and one sub-district (King Amphoe). The districts are further subdivided into 131 communes (tambon) and 1028 villages (mubaan). The province has 1 city (thesaban nakhon), 2 towns (thesaban mueang) and 19 townships (thesaban tambon). The most important ones are the following 6 (complete list). There are also 119 tambon administrative authorities.

External links

- [http://tourismthailand.org/destinationguide/list.aspx?provinceid=67 Province page from the Tourist Authority of Thailand]
- [http://kanchanapisek.or.th/cgi-bin/kp8/oncc/province.cgi?prov=s14 Golden Jubilee Network province guide]
- [http://www.suratthani.go.th Official website] (Thai only) Surat Thani Province ja:スラートターニー県 ms:Wilayah Surat Thani th:จังหวัดสุราษฎร์ธานี

Amphoe Tha Chang

Tha Chang (Thai ท่าฉาง) is a district (Amphoe) in the west of Surat Thani Province of southern Thailand. Neighboring districts are Chaiya to the north, the Bandon Bay to the east, Phunphin, Vibhavadi and Ban Ta Khun to the south, and to the west the district Kapoe of Ranong Province.

Geography

The district extends from the coast to the Bandon Bay in the east till the ridge of the Phuket mountain range, which forms the boundary between the provinces Surat Thani and Ranong. Located in these hills is the Kang Krung National Park. The district is crossed by the southern railway, as well as Asian highway AH2.

Administration

The district is subdivided into 6 communes (tambon), which in turn are subdivided into 46 villages (muban). Each of the tambon is administrated by a Tambon Administrative Organization (TAO), Tha Chang itself also has township (thesaban tambon) status. Tha Chang th:อำเภอท่าฉาง

Ranong Province

Ranong (Thai ระนอง) is one of the southern provinces (changwat) of Thailand, at the shore to the Andaman Sea. It is the province with the fewest citizens. Neighboring provinces are (from north clockwise) Chumphon, Surat Thani and Phang Nga. To the west it also borders Myanmar.

Geography

Ranong is located on the Kra Isthmus, the narrow strip that connects mainland Thailand with the Malay Peninsula, on the west side of the Phuket mountain range. It has a long coast on the Andaman Sea. The province is known for having the most rainfall of all Thailand, the rainy season lasting for about 8 months. In 1955 the annual rainfall reached 6699.5 mm, compared to about 1200 in central Thailand. This led to the pun that the name Ranong is in fact taken from the English rain on - even though the name is actually pronounced ra-nawng. The province is the least populated province of Thailand, 80% of the area are covered by forests, and 67% are mountanous terrain. Historically the major industry was tin mining, but most mines are exploited already now. White clay mining for the production of porcelain and fishing are the main industries today, together with the rubber and cashew nut farming. The Ranong Biosphere Reserve in the north of Amphoe Kapoe covering 303.09 km² was declared in 1997. It is the fourth biosphere reserve of Thailand, but the only one located at the coast to protect the mangrove forests.

History

Khaw Soo Cheang was a Chinese from Changchow-fu, Fukien Province, who tried his luck abroad. In 1810 he arrived at Penang, but after 6 unsuccessful years he came to Takuapa to try his luck there. Earning well from various trading activities, in 1844 he was appointed Royal Collector of tin royalties in the Ranong area, and receiving the title and name Luang Ratanasethi. 1854 King Mongkut made him governour of Ranong and elevated him to Phra. At that time Ranong was a subordinate of the Chumphon province, but in 1864 due to the good performance of the governour it was elevated to full provincial status, and he became the title Phraya. After he died in 1882 his second son became the new governour and in 1896 commissoner of Monthon Chumphon, other sons became governour of Kra, Langsuan, and his youngest son Kho Sim Bee became governour of Trang, and in 1900 commissoner of Monthon Phuket. However after his death in 1913 a commissioner from outside the area was appointed, to stop the traditionally inherited administrative power of the family. In 1916 all Chinese immigrant had to adopt a Thai name, and the family of Khaw Soo Cheang became the Na Ranong family.

Symbols

Administrative divisions

Na Ranong Ranong is subdivided into 4 districts (Amphoe) and one minor district (King Amphoe). These are further subdivided into 30 communes (tambon) and 167 villages (mubaan).

External links

- [http://www.tourismthailand.org/destinationguide/list.aspx?provinceid=68 Province page from the Tourist Authority of Thailand]
- [http://kanchanapisek.or.th/cgi-bin/kp8/oncc/province.cgi?prov=s11 Golden Jubilee Network province guide]
- [http://www.ranong.go.th/english/index.htm Official website] ms:Wilayah Ranong th:จังหวัดระนอง

Chumphon Province

Chumphon (Thai ชุมพร) is one of the southern provinces (changwat) of Thailand, at the shore of the Gulf of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are (from north clockwise) Prachuap Khiri Khan, Surat Thani and Ranong. To the west it also borders Myanmar.

Geography

Chumphon is located on the Isthmus of Kra, the narrow landbridge connecting the Malay Peninsula with the mainland of Thailand. To the west are the hills of the Phuket mountain range and its northern continuation, the Tenasserim chain, while the east is the more flat land at the coat to the Gulf of Thailand. The main river is the Lang Suan, which originates in Phato district.

History

In November 1989 the typhoon Gay hit the province hard - 529 people were killed, 160,000 became homeless, 7,130 km² of farm land was destroyed. Gay is the only tropical storm on record which reached Thailand with typhoon wind strength.

Symbols

Administrative divisions

Gay Chumphon is subdivided into 8 districts (Amphoe). These are further subdivided into 70 communes (tambon) and 674 villages (mubaan).

External links

- [http://www.tourismthailand.org/destinationguide/list.aspx?provinceid=69 Province page from the Tourist Authority of Thailand]
- [http://www.chumphon.go.th Official homepage] (Thai only) ms:Wilayah Chumphon ja:チュムポーン県 th:จังหวัดชุมพร

Amphoe Tha Chana

Tha Chana (Thai ท่าชนะ) is a district (Amphoe) in the north of Surat Thani Province of southern Thailand. Neighboring districts are Chaiya to the south, Phato to the northeast and Lamae to the north. The last two districts belong to Chumphon Province. To the east is the Gulf of Thailand.

History

The district is already quite old. Already before 1907 the district, then named Prasong (ประสงค์), was a subordinate of Chaiya, administrated in the monthon Chumphon. The seat of the district was in current-day Ban Tha Krachai. In 1909 as part of thesaphiban administrative reform most of the tambon were transferred to be administrated directly by Chaiya, and the remaining minor district (king amphoe) Prasong was reduced in status to a tambon. As the area developed a lot in the following decades, the district was recreated on January 1 1948 as a minor district. The seat of the minor district was in Ban Talad Nong Wai in tambon Tha Chana, thus the district was also named Tha Chana. In 1956 it was elevated to full Amphoe status. The name Tha Chana means "Harbour of victory" and dates back to the expedition of vice-king Boworn Maha Surasinghanat to the south to fight back the Burmese invasion. During the victorious return in 1785 he founded the temple Wat Khotharam (now named Wat Amphawan), and also created two stele announcing his victory. One was placed in tambon Wang, the other in tambon Tha Chana.

Administration

The district is subdivided into 6 communes (tambon), which in turn are subdivided into 77 villages (muban). Each of the tambon is administrated by a Tambon Administrative Organization (TAO), Tha Chana itself also has township (thesaban tambon) status.

External links

- http://www.thachanacity.org (Thai only) Tha Chana th:อำเภอท่าชนะ

Bandon Bay

Bandon Bay (Thai: อ่าวบ้านดอน) is a bay in the Gulf of Thailand in the Surat Thani Province, extending from the Chaiya district in the northwest to the Don Sak district to the east. The total coastline is about 100 km. The bay is dominated by the eastuary of the rivers Tapi and Phum Duang. The bay is relatively shallow, with water depths ranging from 1 to 5 meters. Along the coast are mudflats due to the high rate of sedimentation, which were naturally overgrown with mangroves (Sonneratia spp., Rhizophora spp.), but now mostly replaced by shrimp farms.

External links

- [http://data.ecology.su.se/mnode/Asia/Thailand/bandonbay/bb.htm Bandon Bay budgets]
- [http://www.arcbc.org.ph/wetlands/thailand/tha_ao_ban.htm ASEAN Regional Centre for Biodiversity Conservation] Category:Geography of Thailand Category:Surat Thani Province Category:Bays

Srivijaya

Srivijaya (200s-1400) was an ancient Malay kingdom on the island of Sumatra which influenced much of the Malay Archipelago. Records of its beginning are scarce while estimations range from the 200s to the 500s. The kingdom ceased to exist around 1400. In Sanskrit, sri means 'shining' or 'radiant' and vijaya means victory or excellence.

Formation and growth

Around year 500, Srivijayan roots begun to develop around present-day Palembang, Sumatra in Indonesia. Chinese records dated 600 mention two Sumatran kingdoms based in Jambi and Palembang as well as three other kingdoms on Java. Srivijaya was a coastal trading center and was a thalassocracy. As such, it did not extend its influence far beyond the coastal areas of the islands of Southeast Asia. The empire was organised in three main zones — the estuarine capital region centred on Palembang, the Musi River basin which served as hinterland and rival estuarine areas capable of forming rival power centres. The capital was administered directly by the ruler while the hinterland remained under its own local datus or chiefs who were organized into a network of allegiance to the Srivijaya maharaja or king. Force was the dominant element in the empire's relations with rival river systems such as the Batang Hari which centered in Jambi. The ruling lineage intermarried with the Sailendras of Central Java. Srivijaya remained a formidable sea power until the thirteenth century.

Vajrayana Buddhism

A stronghold of Vajrayana Buddhism, Srivijaya attracted pilgrims and scholars from other parts of Asia. These included the Chinese monk Yijing, who made several lengthy visits to Sumatra on his way to study at Nalanda in India in 671 and 695, and the eleventh-century Buddhist scholar Atisha, who played a major role in the development of Vajrayana Buddhism in Tibet. Travellers to these islands mentioned that gold coinage was in use on the coasts, but not inland.

Relationship with regional powers

Although historical records and archaeological evidence are scarce, it appears that by the seventh century, Srivijaya established suzerainty over large areas of Sumatra, western Java and much of the Malay Peninsula. Dominating the Malacca and Sunda straits, Srivijaya controlled both the spice route traffic and local trade, charging a toll on passing ships. Serving as an entrepôt for Chinese, Malay, and Indian markets, the port of Palembang, accessible from the coast by way of a river, accumulated great wealth. spice route The Jambi kingdom was the first rival power centre absorbed into the empire, starting the domination of the region through trade and conquest in the 7th and 9th centuries. Srivijaya helped spread the Malay culture throughout Sumatra, the Malay Peninsula, and western Borneo. Srivijaya influence waned in the 11th century. The island was in frequent conflict with, and ultimately subjugated by, from Javanese kingdoms, first Singhasari and then Majapahit. Some historians claim that Chaiya in the Surat Thani province in Southern Thailand was at least temporarily the capital of Srivijaya but this claim is largely disputed. However, Chaiya was probably a regional center of the kingdom. The temple Borom That in Chaiya contains a reconstructed pagoda in Srivijaya style. The Khmer kingdom may also had been a tributary in its early stages. They also maintained close relations with the Pala Empire in Bengal and an inscription that dates 860 records that the maharaja of Srivijaya dedicated a monastery at the Nalanda university in Pala territory. Relations with the Chola dynasty of south India were initially friendly but it deteriorated into actual warfare in the eleventh century.

Golden age

After trade disruption at Canton between 820 to 850, the ruler of Jambi was able to assert enough independence to send missions to China in 853 and 871. Jambi's independence coincided with the troubled time when the Sailendran Balaputra, expelled from Java, seized the throne of Srivijaya. The new maharaja was able to despatch a tributary mission to China by 902. Only two years later, the expiring Tang dynasty conferred a title on a Srivijayan envoy. In the first half of the tenth century, between the fall of Tang and the rise of Song, there was brisk trade between the overseas world and the Fujian kingdom of Min and the rich Guangdong kingdom of Nan Han. Srivijaya undoubtedly benefited from this, preparatory to the prosperity it was to enjoy under the early Song. Circa 903, Muslim writer Ibn Rustah was so impressed with the wealth of Srivijaya's ruler that he declared one would not hear of a king who was richer, stronger or with more revenue.

Decline

In 1068, Virarajendra, the Chola king of Coromandel, conquered Kedah from Srivijaya. The Cholas continued a series of raids and conquests throughout what is now Indonesia and Malaysia for the next 20 years. Although the Chola invasion was ultimately unsuccessful, it gravely weakened the Srivijayan hegemony and enabled the formation of regional kingdoms based, like Kediri, on intensive agriculture rather than coastal and long distance trade Islam made its way to the Aceh region of Sumatra, spreading through contacts with Arabs and Indian traders. By the late 13th century, the kingdom of Pasai in northern Sumatra converted to Islam. At the same time, Srivijaya was briefly a tributary of the Khmer empire and later the Sukhothai kingdom. The last inscription dates to 1374, in a crown prince, Ananggavarman, is mentioned. By 1402 Parameswara, the last prince of Srivijaya founded the Sultanate of Malacca on the Malay peninsula. He converted to Islam in 1414. The name of the empire was rediscovered by George Coedës in the 1920s, who noticed that the Chinese references to Sanfoqi, previously read as as Sribhoja and the inscriptions in Old Malay refer to the same empire.

External links

- [http://www.antarakita.net/articles/srivijaya.html Review of Srivijaya resources on the Internet - but many are dead links already] Category:Hindu history Category:History of Indonesia Category:History of Malaysia Category:History of Thailand Category:History of South East Asia ms:Srivijaya ja:シュリーヴィジャヤ王国

5th century

Overview

Events

- Rome sacked by Visigoths in 410.
- Attila the Hun conquers large parts of Europe, threatens to attack Rome in 452
- Pope Leo I allegedly meets personally with Atilla and convinces him to leave Rome alone.
- Vandals conquer Carthage in 439, sack Rome in 455
- At some point after 440, the Anglo-Saxons settle in Britain. The traditional story is that they were invited there by Vortigern.
- Last Roman ruler of Western Roman Empire leaves in 476. Europe enters the Middle ages, beginning with the Dark Ages.
- Buddhism reaches Myanmar and Indonesia.
- According to the Book of Mormon, Moroni buries the Golden Plates and ends the record around 421.
- African and Indonesian settlers reach Madagascar.
- Augustine writes The City of God

Significant persons

- Augustine of Hippo, bishop, theologian
- Niall Noigiallach, founder of one of Ireland's greatest dynasties.
- St. Jerome hermit, cleric, Bible translator
- Bodhidharma
- Theoderic the Great, Ostrogothic king
- Attila the Hun
- St. Patrick, completed the conversion to Christianity in Ireland
- Alaric I, king of the Visigoths that sacked Rome
- Flavius Aëtius, last of the great Roman generals
- Pope Leo I

Inventions, discoveries, introductions

- stirrup invented in China
- heavy plow in use in Slavic lands
- metal horseshoes become common in Gaul
- Anglo-Saxon Futhorc alphabet used in England

Decades and years

Category:5th century 05th century ko:5세기 ja:5世紀 simple:5th century th:คริสต์ศตวรรษที่ 5

13th century

As a means of recording the passage of time, the 13th century was that century which lasted from 1201 to 1300. In the history of European culture, this period is considered part of the High Middle Ages. High Middle Ages, overran most of Asia, thus creating the world's largest empire to ever exist. They achieved this success in large part due to their amazing horse archers.]]

Events

- Genghis Khan, Temujin by birth is claimed "Khan of Khans" by the Mongol tribes.
- Mongols under Genghis Khan conquer and rule over most of Asia and Eastern Europe by establishing Mongol Empire
- Ogedei Khan establish Mongolian dynasty in China. Some Mongol leaders convert from Tantric Buddhism to Islam.
- 1204 - Fourth Crusade sacks Byzantine Constantinople and creates the Latin Empire.
- Fifth through eighth crusades of western European kingdoms against Islam
- King John of England forced to sign Magna Carta at Runnymede
- Fall of the Hohenstaufen dynasty of Holy Roman Emperors
- Marco Polo and his family reach China
- James I of Aragon takes control of Balearic Islands and Valencia.
- Andrew II of Hungary signs the Golden Bull which afferms the privileges of Hungarian nobility.
- Theravada overtakes Mahayana as the dominant form of Buddhism in Cambodia.
- Persian historian Rashid al-Din records eleven Buddhist texts circulating in Arabic translation.
- The Thai Kingdom of Sukhothai is established, with Theravada Buddhism as the state religion. Later in the century it vassalises significant parts of modern Thailand, Laos, Burma, and Malaysia.
- Norway cedes the Isle of Man to Scotland.
- First European universities founded.
- The Utiguri Bulgar state on the Volga vanishes from history.
- Bantu-speaking peoples arrive in modern Angola, partially displacing the original Khoisan inhabitants.
- The Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212 in Spain sees the beginning of a rapid Christian reconquest of the southern half of the Iberian peninsula, with the defeat of Moorish forces.

Significant people

- Genghis Khan, founder of Mongol Empire
- Alexander of Hales, philosopher and theologian
- Albertus Magnus, German philosopher and theologian
- Thomas Aquinas, theologian
- Francis of Assisi, founder of the Franciscan order
- Robert Grosseteste, English statesman, teologian, and scientist
- Roger Bacon, Franciscan, philosopher, and scientist
- Bonaventure, Franciscan theologian
- Petrus Peregrinus, scientist
- Louis IX of France, St. Louis, French king and crusader
- Frederick II, emperor of the Holy Roman Empire
- Dante Alighieri, Italian writer
- Ramon Llull, Majorcan philosopher
- Kublai Khan, Khan ruler, founder of Yuan Dynasty in China
- Alexander Nevsky, Grand Prince of Novgorod and Vladimir
- Snorri Sturluson, historian and saga-writer
- William Wallace, Scottish national leader
- Béla IV of Hungary rebuilder of Hungary after the devastating Mongol invasion

Inventions, discoveries, introductions

- List of 13th century inventions

Decades and years

External links

- [http://www.nd.edu/Departments/Maritain/etext/walsh.htm The Thirteenth: Greatest of Centuries] by James J. Walsh, 1907 Category:13th century Category:Centuries ko:13세기 ja:13世紀 simple:13th century th:คริสต์ศตวรรษที่ 13

Pagoda

, Malaysia]] A pagoda is the general term in the English language for a tiered tower with multiple eaves common in China, Japan, Korea, and other parts of Asia. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most commonly Buddhist, and were often located in or near temples. This term may refer to other religious structures in some countries. In Thailand, "pagoda" usually means the same as stupa while in Vietnam, "pagoda" is a more generic term referring to a place of worship. The modern pagoda is an evolution of the Indian stupa, a tomb-like structure where sacred relics could be kept safe and venerated. The architectural structure of the stupa has spread across Asia, taking on many diverse forms as details specific to different regions are incorporated into the overall design. Pagodas attract lightning strikes because of their height. This tendency may have played a role in their perception as spiritually charged places. Many pagodas have an antenna at the top of the structure known as a finial. This antenna is designed in such a way as to have symbolic meaning within Buddhism; for example, it may include designs representing a lotus. The finial also functions as a lightning rod, and thus helps to both attract lightning and protect the pagoda from lightning damage.

Functions of pagodas

While most pagodas were built for religious purposes, they can also be used for enjoying distant views, for military supervision (ie: use as watchtowers), or as navigational aids to travellers and ships. Some pagodas, such as the Three Pagodas in Dali, have also become symbols of their locality.

Derivation of word

Dali]] The earliest example in the Oxford English Dictionary of the use of the word pagoda in English is from 1634. According to Alain Rey's Dictionnaire historique de la langue française (rev. ed. 1995), the word first appeared in French as pagode in 1545, meaning "temple of an Eastern religion" and deriving from a Portuguese word dated from 1516. The derivation is uncertain. Possible roots are the Dravidian pagodi or pagavadi, a name of Kali derived from the Sanskrit bhagavati ("goddess"), and the Persian butkada ("temple"). According to Liang Ssu-Cheng's A Pictorial History of Chinese Architecture (MIT Press, 1984), the word pagoda is derived from the Chinese 八角塔 (in pinyin, bā jiǎo tǎ, hence "pagoda"), meaning literally "eight-cornered tower." Pagodas with an octagonal base were an extremely popular pagoda design in the late Ming Dynasty and early Qing Dynasty periods when Europeans were coming into contact with China. Other Buddhist sources (see also stupa for a similar explanation with more background) point to the evolution of the word 'pagoda' from the Sanskrit 'dhatu garba' meaning a womb containing magical sacred relics, via the Singhalese 'dagoba', meaning a stupa. The following is from the Subang Jaya Buddhist Association web text [http://www.webcastmy.com.my/bodhivision/Symb6.html Understanding Buddhist Symbols and Rituals]: "Pagoda – comes from Sanskrit "dhatu garba". From the harmika in the stupa, lies the anda (dome) or world egg. Here resides the sacred relic, with their dhatus (magic elements) which like the eggs, possess the power of life. The power of this womb and its world egg is transferred through the sacred altar that stands over the gharba (the womb), namely the harmika, and becomes a force for spiritual life and renewal. Therefore "dhatu" refers to the magical, sacred relics (i.e the Buddha’s) and "gharba" the womb. From dhatu gharba comes the Singhalese "dagoba". In Burma and other East Asian countries, the daoba becomes "pagoda"." For more detailed information on this explanation, see also 'Psycho-cosmic symbolism of the Buddhist stupa', under 'References' below as well as the link to '[http://www.exoticindiaart.com/article/stupa Exotic India Art]'. In the 18th century, Chinoiserie, a style based on Chinese and other Far East designs became popular in Europe, introduced by the burgeoning trade and travel routes. An example of this is the pagoda in Kew Gardens, England, which was completed in 1762 as a gift for Princess Augusta, the mother of George III. In an unexpected twist, a "pagod" became the English name in the luxury trade for a porcelain figure of a Chinese seated god.

Some famous pagodas

George III
- An Quang Pagoda, a meeting place for Vietnamese Buddhist leaders in Saigon, and site of the Institute for Dharma Propagation.
- Most pagodas with a religious function are Buddhist stupas; however, the Daqin Pagoda in China was an exception, being built by early Christians.
- Jade Chop Pagoda in the Three Gorges region of the Chang Jiang (Yangtze) river, China.
- Miruksa Temple Pagoda at Iksan of Chollabuk-do province in the Republic of Korea, a Paekche pagoda mid 5th century.
- Toji, the tallest wooden structure in Japan.
- The Porcelain Tower of Nanjing, a wonder of the medieval world in Nanjing, China.
- Phra Pathom Chedi the highest pagoda or stupa in the world Nakhon Pathom, Thailand.
- Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, Myanmar
- Pha That Luang, the holiest wat, pagoda, and stupa in Laos, in Vientiane

External links

- http://www.sogang.ac.kr/~anthony/Korea/Pagodas.htm
- http://www.orientalarchitecture.com/kyongju/bulguksaindex.htm
- http://www.exoticindiaart.com/article/stupa

Reference

Psycho-cosmic symbolism of the Buddhist stupa, AB Govinda, 1976, Emeryville, Calif.: Dharma Pub
- ko:탑파 ja:仏塔

National Museum (Thailand)

The National Museum in Thailand is the main museum on the history of the Thai culture. The main museum is located in Bangkok on Na Phrathat Road next to the Sanam Luang, not far from Wat Phra Kaew. In 1926 King Prajadhipok created the Royal Institute of Art, Literature and Archaeology, which then opened the museum in Bangkok at the Wang Na palace. Today there are 38 branch museums spread all over the country.

Branch museums

- Bangkok
- Chaiya
- Phimai (to be continued)

External links

- http://www.thailandmuseum.com th:พิพิธภัณฑสถานแห่งชาติ

Damrong Rajanubhab

HRH Prince Damrong Rajanubhab (Thai including his full title: สมเด็จพระเจ้าบรมวงศ์เธอ กรมพระยาดำรงราชานุภาพ) (June 21, 1862 – December 1, 1943) was the founder of the modern Thai education system as well as the modern provincial administration. He was also a self-taught historian, and one of the most influential intellectuals of his time. Born as Phra Ong Chao Disuankumaan (พระองค์เจ้าดิศวรกุมาร - Prince Disuankumaan) a son of King Mongkut with a lesser wife Choom, he initially learned Thai and Pali from private tutors, and English at the Royal School with Mr. Francis George Patterson. At the age of 14, he received his formal education in a special palace school created by his half-brother, king Chulalongkorn. He was given posts in the royal administration at an early age, becoming the commander of the Royal Pages' Bodyguard Regiment in 1880 at age 18, and after several years working in building army-schools as well as modernizing the army in general he became the deputy commander-in-chief of the army in 1887. At the same time he was chosen by the king to become the minister of education in his provisional cabinet. However when king Chulalongkorn began his administrative reform programme in 1892, Prince Damrong was chosen to lead the Ministry of the North (Mahatthai), which was converted into the ministry of the interior in 1894. In his time as minister he completed overhauled the provincial administration. Many minor provinces were merged into larger ones, the provincial governor lost most of its autonomy when it was converted into a post appointed and paid by the ministry, and a new administrative division, the monthon (circle) covering several provinces, was created. Also the formal education of administrative staff was introduced. Prince Damrong was among the most important advisors of the king, and considered second only to him in power. After the death of king Chulalongkorn in 1910, the relationship with his successor Vajiravudh was less smooth. Damrong finally resigned in 1915 from his post at the ministry, officially due to health problems, as otherwise the resignation would have looked like an affront against the absolute monarch. During the brief reign of King Prajadhipok, the prince proposed that the King founded the Royal Institute, mainly to look after the National Library and the museums. He became the first President of the Royal Institute. He was given the title Somdej Phrachao Boromawongse Ther Kromaphraya Damrong Rajanubhab by King Prajadhipok in recognition to his works. This became the name by which he was better known. In the following years Damrong worked as a self-educated historian, as well as writing books on Thai literature, culture and arts. Out of his works grew the National Library as well as the National Museum. During the coup d'etat of 1932 which ended the absolute monarchy in Thailand he fled to Penang (Malaysia). 1942 he returned to Bangkok, where he died one year later. Prince Damrong is credited as the father of Thai history, education system, health system (the ministry of health was originally a department of the ministry of interior) and provincial administration. On his 100th birthday in 1962 he became the first Thai to be included in the UNESCO list of the world's most distinguished persons. His descendants use the surname Disakul.

Writings

Prince Damrong wrote countless books and articles, of which only a few are available in English translation.
- Our Wars with the Burmese: Thai-Burmese Conflict 1539-1767, ISBN 9747534584
- Journey through Burma in 1936: A View of the Culture, History and Institutions, ISBN 9748358852

References

- [http://www.asiasource.org/society/damrongrajanubhab.cfm Biography from the Encyclopedia of Asian History]
- Tej Bunnag, The Provincial Administration of Siam 1892-1915, ISBN 0195803434 Disuankumaan, Prince Disuankumaan, Prince Disuankumaan, Prince Category:Thai people ja:ダムロンラーチャヌパープ

775

Events
- Leo IV succeeds Constantine V as Byzantine Emperor.
- Battle of Otford between Mercia and Kent.
- Alpin II succeeds Ciniod as king of the Picts. Births Deaths
- Al-Mansur, second Abbasid caliph (b. 712)
- September 14 - Constantine V, Byzantine Emperor Category:775 ko:775년

1932

1932 (MCMXXXII) is a leap year starting on Friday.

Events

January-February

- January 3 - British arrest and intern Mohandas Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel
- January 8 - In Britain the Archbishop of Canterbury forbids church remarriage of divorcees
- January 12 - Hattie W. Caraway becomes the first woman elected to the United States Senate
- January 14 - Maurice Ravel's Concerto in G (Ravel) debuts with piano soloist Marguerite Long and Ravel conducting the Lamoureux Orchestra
- January 15 - Pierre Laval forms a new government in France
- January 15 - About 6 million unemployed in Germany
- January 26 - British submarine M-2 sinks with all 50 hands
- January 28 - Japan occupies Shanghai
- January 29 - Minority government of Karl Mureschi in Austria ends the governmental crisis
- January 31 - Japanese warships arrive in Nanking
- February 2 - General convention of disarmament begins in Geneva
- February 2 - League of Nations again recommends negotiations between the Republic of China and Japan
- February 4 - 1932 Winter Olympics open in Lake Placid, New York. Japan occupies Harbin, China
- February 11 - Pope Pius XI meets Benito Mussolini in the Vatican City
- February 18 - Japan declares Manzhouguo (Japanese name for Manchuria) formally independent from China
-