The full name of Bangkok when transliterated into English is “Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Ayuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit” which is often shortened to “Krung Thep” or “Krung Thep Maha Nakhon” in official parlance.
The name “Krung Thep” means “City of Angels” in
Thai, while the full ceremonial name is more of a series of descriptions that roughly
translates to “The city of angels, the great city, the residence of the
Emerald Buddha, the impregnable city of Ayutthaya of God Indra, the grand
capital of the world endowed with nine precious gems, the happy city, abounding
in an enormous Royal Palace that resembles the heavenly abode where reigns the
reincarnated god, a city given by Indra and built by Vishvakarman”. Lot of
the words are from Pali/Sanskrit. One finds an amazing amount of shared history
and mythology between India and Thailand. The evidence is everywhere from their
temples, museums, customs and traditions and even the names of Royal family. Originally,
Bangkok was known as Thonburi Si Mahasamut (ธนบุรีศรีมหาสมุทร, from Pali and Sanskrit, literally
'city of treasures gracing the ocean') or Thonburi, according to the Ayutthaya Chronicles [1].
Bangkok most definitely is a name given by foreign visitors who decided to make it easier for themselves just as they did for many of our cities like Trichy from Tiruchirappalli, Trivandrum from Thiruvanthapuram, Belgaum from Belagavi, Pondicherry from Pandiyargal Perum Vedam and so on. While most of us are busy doing verbal equivalent of vrishchikasana to be able to pronounce all the continental fashion brands, in those days it was not a priority. Times thankfully changed and now we are more mindful of the local ethos, culture and language. Remarkably, Thailand was never colonized by any of the western powers due to a unique combination of factors and ingenuity of the ruling6 Siamese Kings, esp., Chulalongkorn.
Personally, it deeply enhances my travel
experience, understanding, satisfaction and knowledge if I research beforehand
about the ways of our destination country. I also believe that apart from
essential vocabulary, one needs to know about particular gestures, body
language, etiquette and ways to be more tuned to the local culture so as to
avoid misunderstandings.
Few of the most helpful things to know was to greet with a wai (the Indian namaste gesture or palms pressed together in the front of your chest and lowering our heads) and say Sawasdee (Sah-Wa-Dee), Sawasdee Ka for women and Sawasdee Khrab for men. We can say Sawasdee without the wai also. One must also say Khwop Khun Ka/Krub meaning ‘thank you’. These things instantly made the other person respond positively with a smile.
Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to explore
Ayutthaya and Chiang Mai. Ayutthaya for the very obvious historical
significance and connection and Chiang Mai for its well-known natural beauty.
Logistics didn’t permit us to make the trip further northwards, and the journey
is slated for another time. We also missed out on a local train journey from
Pattaya to Thailand as the timings didn’t suit our travel plans. But for those
with the luxury of time, one must plan for the above mentioned. Many also ask
me about Phuket, Koh Samui and other island retreats. Well, I didn’t have my
husband around on the trip, how was I supposed to enjoy the honeymoon vibes
these touristy places were advertising? Plus, my sister-in-law had already
visited these locations. Hence, we decided to include Pattaya instead, which
was closer and a beach town and also offered a completely different laid-back
vibe.
