Bang Rachan ( th, บางระจัน, ) is a district (''
amphoe
An amphoe (sometimes also ''amphur'', th, อำเภอ, )—usually translated as "district"—is the second level administrative subdivision of Thailand. Groups of ''amphoe'' or districts make up the provinces, and are analogous to countie ...
'') of
Sing Buri province
Sing Buri ( th, สิงห์บุรี, ) is one of the central provinces (''changwat'') of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are (from north clockwise) Nakhon Sawan, Lopburi, Ang Thong, Suphan Buri, and Chai Nat.
Toponymy
The word ''sing'' ...
, central
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
.
Etymology
The word ''bang'' is a Thai word meaning 'home', 'village', or more specifically 'river village'. ''Rachan'' is a Sanskrit word which is most commonly translated as 'creation' but can have many meanings. One possible meaning is 'formation' or 'array of troops'. As Bang Rachan was the place of a historically important battle, perhaps this is the original meaning. Another possible connection is the Sanskrit word for king, "rajan", which may not be too far fetched since the king of
Siam
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 mi ...
resided in
Ayutthaya Ayutthaya, Ayudhya, or Ayuthia may refer to:
* Ayutthaya Kingdom, a Thai kingdom that existed from 1350 to 1767
** Ayutthaya Historical Park, the ruins of the old capital city of the Ayutthaya Kingdom
* Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province (locally ...
at the time of the
and could easily have visited or founded Bang Rachan, or it could even be the seat of a previous king. The history of the area is uncertain and conquerors have rewritten history intentionally several times, so the exact origin of the name is unknown. ''Rachan'' is even used as the name of a person, so "Bang Rachan" could simply refer to 'the village by the river where Rachan lives'.
History
The area of Bang Rachan district was mostly part of the historical ''
Mueang
Mueang ( th, เมือง ''mɯ̄ang'', ), Muang ( lo, ເມືອງ ''mɯ́ang'', ; Tai Nuea: ᥛᥫᥒᥰ ''muang''), Mong ( shn, ''mə́ŋ'', ), Meng () or Mường (Vietnamese), were pre-modern semi-independent city-states or principali ...
'' Sing. When the government re-established ''Mueang'' Sing, the area was divided into two districts, Bang Phutsa (now Mueang Sing Buri) and Sing. The district was renamed Bang Rachan in 1939.
The first district office was on the right bank of the Noi River in Tambon Choeng Klat. In 1898 was moved to the left bank of the river in Tambon Sing area.
Despite its name, the historic battle of Bang Rachan between the Burmese army and Thai villagers took place in the area of neighboring
Khai Bang Rachan district, which was split off from Bang Rachan District in 1972.
Geography
Neighboring districts are (from the north clockwise)
Sankhaburi of
Chai Nat province
Chai Nat ( th, ชัยนาท, ) is one of the central provinces (''changwat'') of Thailand. Neighbouring provinces are (from north clockwise) Nakhon Sawan, Sing Buri, Suphan Buri, and Uthai Thani. The town of Chai Nat is 188 km north ...
,
In Buri,
Mueang Sing Buri and
Khai Bang Rachan of Sing Buri Province, and
Doem Bang Nang Buat of
Suphan Buri province.
Administration
The district is divided into eight sub-districts (''
tambon
''Tambon'' ( th, ตำบล, ) is a local governmental unit in Thailand. Below district (''amphoe'') and province (''changwat''), they form the third administrative subdivision level. there were 7,255 tambons, not including the 180 ''khwaeng'' ...
s'').
References
External links
amphoe.com
Bang Rachan
The village of Bang Rachan ( th, บางระจัน, ) was in the north of Ayutthaya (city), Ayutthaya, the old capital of Siam, the predecessor state of modern Thailand. Today their village is located in Khai Bang Rachan District of Sing ...
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