Understand
Pathum Thani has been a residential area for not less than 300 years since the reign of King Narai the Great of the Kingdom of Ayutthaya. In 1659, Mang Nanthamit gathered the Mon families in Martaban town to migrate from the Burmese war, and asked for protection from King Narai the Great. The king allowed the Mon families to settle in Sam Khok village, and the Sam Khok community has continuously developed. Then, during the reign of King Taksin the Great of Thon Buri, the Mons migrated from Burma to ask for the kingâs protection for a second time. The king also allowed them to settle in Sam Khok. The last migration of the Mons was during the reign of King Rama II. It was a major migration from Martaban town to Thailand called "Mon Yai". The king allowed some of the Mons to settle at Sam Khok village as well. Therefore, from being a small-sized community, "Sam Khok village" has later become 'Sam Khok town".
King Rama II continuously took care and assisted the Mons in Sam Khok. In the eleventh lunar month in 1815, the king visited Sam Khok town and resided at the pavilion by the left side of the Chao Phraya River, opposite Sam Khok town, creating an overwhelming feeling among the Mons. A large number of the Mons often visited and offered lotuses to the king, creating great satisfaction for him. As a result, the king gave the new name for Sam Khok town as "Prathum Thani' town of lotus on the 23 August, 1815. It was considered as the beginning of Prathum Thani town.
In 1918, King Rama VI transformed the word Mueang town to Changwat province and also changed its spelling from âPrathum Thaniâ to âPathum Thaniâ. In 1932, King Rama VII ordered the merging of Thanyaburi province into Pathum Thani province.
Since the period that King Rama II gave the name to Pathum Thani, the province has continuously been prosperous with arts and culture, as well as, other identities which the people of Pathum Thani are proud of. It is also a very flourishing peripheral province. The centre of Pathum Thani is 46 kilometres north of Bangkok, covering an area of 1,565 square kilometres.
