King Taksin the Great—Thonburi, Bangkok, Thailand. - Statues of Historic Figures on Waymarking.com

In the year 1767, after a fourteen month siege, the capital city of the Kingdom of Siam (Thailand, as it was then known), Ayutthaya, feel to an invading Burmese army. The Burmese were swift to punish the city. They carried off everything of value: artisans, material goods, precious metals, and Buddhist texts and relics. They then destroyed what was left, levelling the buildings, even removing the heads of Buddha statues. The Burmese wished to eliminate the powerful Siamese Kingdom by destroying its political and economic centre.

For over three centuries prior to this defeat Ayutthaya had been one of the great cities of the world, with a population estimated at one million people. A centre of culture and art, filled with great palaces and houses of the wealthy and powerful. More than this, it had been a prominent trading centre, with goods and merchants from all corners of the earth trading in its busy streets. Now it lay in ruins.

From this nadir of defeat one figure would emerge, who would restore the Siamese kingdom, this was Somdet Phra Chao Taksin Maharat—King Taksin the Great.


The future King was born in 1734 in Ayutthaya. He came from somewhat humble stock and was of part Chinese descent. Evidently, he showed early promise as he was ‘taken under the wing’ by the ‘Prime Minister’ of the Kingdom, and received a good education. After the customary time spent as a monk he became a public official, a career which included governing a Thai province.

When in 1765 the Burmese, long standing rivals, attacked Siam and Ayutthaya, Taksin was one of the leaders of the city's military defence, however, rather than continuing to resist, in 1766 he led a group of soldiers out of the doomed city to the south east region of Siam. It would be reasonable to assume that Taksin foresaw the fall of Ayutthaya, and believed that only a new resistance movement would liberate Siam from Burmese occupation and rule.

This region had been untouched by the Burmese, and was ready to support Taksin against the invaders. After marshalling a new army the future king attacked and quickly defeated the Burmese troops garrisoning the site of Ayutthaya. Taksin also created a new capital city for Siam, the city of Thonburi, south of Ayutthaya, on the west bank of the Chao Phra River (opposite the site of modern Bangkok). This new capital was better suited to the defensive needs of the country, and better situated for the growing international trade of the kingdom.

As a consequence of the destruction of Ayutthaya several regions of Siam effectively seceded and were ruled as independent principalities by their local warlords/leaders. Some of these voluntarily supported Taksin, others required military intervention before they returned to the fold.

In 1768 Taksin was crowned King of Siam. This was a revolutionary step, due to his Chinese descent and non-royal pedigree, however—times and the man. As King, Taksin continued to expand the territory under his rule, pushing his forces north to drive out the Burmese and then further into Burmese lands. He also found it politically necessary to intervene in lands to the east of Siam, into Laos and Cambodia, even parts of Vietnam, and south into the Malay states. These lands were made tributiary to Siam, to the extent that Taksin’s son was king of Cambodia for a short time. The lands under his rule far exceeded those ruled by the previous Ayutthaya kingdom.

As well as being a military leader Taksin also oversaw the rebuilding of Siamese society. He took steps to restore the shattered economy, in part by encouraging Chinese immigration and trade. The Buddhist faith in Siam had been badly affected by the destruction of Ayuttaya, with many texts lost and Buddhist leaders dead or kidnapped. Taksin strove to restore the integrity of Thai Buddhism, establishing new monasteries, reforming the priesthood, and creating new Buddhist texts for use by his new monks. He also recognised the growing challenge from the European powers present in south-east Asia, and made contact with the Portuguese and the English.


It is fair to say that King Taksin both saved and restored Siam, a proud legacy, however, this King was not to die a peaceful death. After less than two decades of rule, in 1782, he was deposed by his leading general and friend. The reason given for the coup was a growing instability and even insanity on the part of the King, however, it is equally true that Taksin, in restoring the kingdom, largely ignored and overruled the traditional aristocracy. Whatever the circumstances, Taksin, after saving Siam, was dead, and a new ruler General Chao Phraya Chakri came to power. The Chakri dynasty continues to rule Thailand to this day, and its ninth king, Rama IX, as he is known to west, occupies the throne of Thailand.


The statue of the King is situated at the centre of the ‘Wongwian Yai’ (large circle) traffic circle, on the west bank of the Chao Phraya river, in Thonburi, the region which Taksin made the capital of Siam. This area is within walking distance of the Wongwian Yai skytrain station. The statue itself is visible for a fair distance up and down the roads leading to the circle. The grounds around the statue, approximately 150m in diameter, are landscaped with grass and paths.

It is an equestrian statue, with a 9m high Taksin holding a sword upright in his right hand, facing eastwards towards modern Bangkok. The statue rests on a pedestal. The height given for the pedestal is 9m, but that seems too short. I would estimate the pedastal to be approximately 30m high. On two sides of the pillar are four panels of high relief engravings. The relief consists of (as far as I can discern): a Thai family, Taksin meeting with the Burmese king, combat between Siamese and Burmese troops, finally a scene of peace and prosperity.

The statue was executed by the Italian sculptor Corrado Feroci, who spent most of his working life in Thailand. A state ceremony, a day of homage to the king, is held annually here on December 28, the date of Taksin’s coronation, and the date the dedication of the statue in 1954.

Sources:
wikipedia entry for King Taksin.
wikipedia entry for Ayutthaya.
wikipedia entry for the Thonburi Kingdom.
"A History of Thailand" Chris Baker & Pasuk Phongpaichit.
various.

URL of the statue: [Web Link]

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