Historic Background Of Bangkok

Bangkok, the ‘Village of Wild Plums’ that grew to become the ‘City of Angels’, does not really  have much of a history behind it- one of the few instances of a capital city that is pretty much of an upstart. Truth to tell, Bangkok became the capital of Thailand only about two centuries ago, when the first king of the Chakri dynasty (the current ruling house), King Rama I, founded the city in 1782. Bangkok started off as an unpretentious little hamlet on the side of the Chao Phraya River. Over the years, the Chakri kings gradually added to their capital- wats, monasteries and palaces were built and Bangkok grew in size and stature. Today, it is not just the capital of Thailand, but also one of the country’s most important administrative, socio-political and cultural centres.