From Sam Khok to Pathum Thani: Two Hundred Years on the Path of Successful City Development
Phra Phuttaloetla Naphalai or King Rama II of the Chakri Dynasty graciously named the province “Pathum Thani”, a name that has brought great pleasure to all people in the province until the present day. Additionally, Phra Sunthorn Vohara, a highly renowned royal poet in the Rattanakosin era, who was more famously known as Sunthorn Phu, composed Nirat Phukaothong (a collection of poems depicting his journey to the Golden Mountain) in 1828, describing his great appreciation for the King’s royal visit to the province.
“The King departed Sam Khok with nostalgia inside
Arrived in Pinklao but the feeling still lingered
Sam Khok truly deserved a greater name he realized
Lightened up with ‘Pathum Thani’ for the city of lotus flowers”
The aforementioned poem was composed by Sunthorn Phu after King Rama II had made his royal visit to Sam Khok, an ancient city with more than 385 years of historical background. The city was renamed “Pathum Thani”, meaning the city of lotus flowers, to conform to the geographic aspect of the beautiful lotus flower scenery which could be abundantly seen across the city. Admittedly, this was considered as the significant conservation of cultural heritage nurtured by ancestors from one generation to another, which had also become a valuable tradition handed down to today’s descendants.