Bangkok

Bangkok

Bangkok is the capital and the most populous city of  Thailand . The city has a population of over 8 million, or 12.6 percent of the country's population.

Bangkok traces its roots to a small trading post during the Ayutthaya Kingdom in the 15th century, which eventually grew in size and became the site of two capital cities: Thonburi in 1768 and Rattanakosin in 1782. The city was the centre stage of Thailand's political struggles throughout the 20th century, as the country abolished absolute monarchy, adopted constitutional rulerule. The city grew rapidly during the 1960s through the 1980s and now exerts a significant impact among Thailand's politics, economy, education, media and modern society.

The baht is the  currency  of  Thailand . It is subdivided into 100 satang (สตางค์). The issuance of currency is the responsibility of the  Bank of Thailand . 1 baht is like 18 pesos chilenos.

Thai, [3]  or more precisely Siamese [4]  or Central Thai, [5]  is the  national  and  official   language  of  Thailand  and the  native language  of the  Thai people  and  Thai Chinese . Thai is a member of the  Tai  group of the  Tai–Kadai   language family .

Bangkok, with a population of over 9 million inhabitants, is one of the biggest cities in the world. Its heavy traffic congestion, intense heat and naughty nightlife do not immediately give visitors a warm welcome.

An overview of the top tourist attractions in Bangkok:

1Grand Palace & Wat Prakeaw

The construction of the Grand Palace started in 1782 when the capital of Siam was moved from Thonburi to Bangkok. The palace served as the residence of the Kings of Thailand until the mysterious death of King Ananda Mahidol in 1946. His brother King Bhumibol Adulyadej whwhoo succeeded him moved permanently to the Chitralada Palace. Today the palace is a major Bangkok tourist attraction. Part of the palace compound is dedicated to a royal temple, Wat Phra Kaew, the most sacred temple of Thailand and home to the famous Emerald Buddha. A jade statue adorned in gold clothing.

The Wat Phra Kaew is regarded as the most sacred Buddhist temple in Thailand. It is a "potent religio-political symbol and the palladium of Thai society".[1] It is located in Phra Nakhon District, the historic centre of Bangkok, within the precincts of the Grand Palace.

The main building is the central phra ubosot, which houses the statue of the Emerald Buddha. The legendary history of this Buddha image is traced to India,

While legend traces this statue to India, its rich historical records dates its finding in  Cambodia  in the 15th century, moved to  Laos  in the 16th century and then to  Vientiane  where it remained for 215 years, and finally to Thailand in the 18th century. Considering the long history and the prophecy of the sage  Nagasena  that the Emerald Buddha would bring "prosperity and pre-eminence to each country in which it resides", the Emerald Buddha deified in the Wat Phra Kaew is deeply revered and venerated in Thailand as the protector of the country. [1]

2Temple of the Reclining Buddha (Wat Pho)

Wat Pho is famous for the huge Reclining Buddha statue it houses. It is one of the largest temples in Bangkok and also one of the oldest, constructed nearly 200 years before Bangkok became Thailand’s capital. Wat Pho holds the distinction of having both Thailand’s largest reclining Buddha image and the largest number of Buddha images in Thailand. The gold-plated Reclining Buddha statue is 46 meters long and 15 meters high.

History

Wat Pho is named after a monastery in India where Buddha is believed to have lived.[5] Prior to the temple's founding, the site was a centre of education for traditional Thai medicine, and statues were created showingyoga positions.

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