Hiran Ruchi ( th, หิรัญรูจี, ) is a '' khwaeng'' (sub-district) of seven sub-districts in

Thon Buri district Thon Buri ( th, ธนบุรี, ) is one of the 50 districts (''khet'') of Bangkok, Thailand. On the west bank of Chao Phraya River, it was once part of Thon Buri province. Neighboring districts are (from north clockwise) Bangkok Yai, Ph ...

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...

Naming

Hiran Ruchi is named after a local Thai Buddhist temple 'Wat Hiran Ruchi', a third-level royal temple of the Worawihan typle. Originally named ''Wat Noi''. It is believed that it was built by wealthy Chinese Ngoen (father-in-law of King

Rama II Phra Phutthaloetla Naphalai ( th, พระพุทธเลิศหล้านภาลัย, 24 February 1767 – 21 July 1824), personal name Chim ( th, ฉิม), also styled as Rama II, was the second monarch of Siam under the Chakri ...

) during the reign of King

Taksin King Taksin the Great ( th, สมเด็จพระเจ้าตากสินมหาราช, , ) or the King of Thonburi ( th, สมเด็จพระเจ้ากรุงธนบุรี, ; ; Teochew: Dên Chao; April 17, ...

circa 1778. There is an ordination hall in the temple with the architecture of the reign of King

Rama I Phra Phutthayotfa Chulalok Maharaj (, 20 March 1737 – 7 September 1809), personal name Thongduang (), also known as Rama I, was the founder of the Rattanakosin Kingdom and the first monarch of the reigning Chakri dynasty of Siam (now T ...

which is Thai mixed with Chinese style. There are large six

stūpa A stupa ( sa, स्तूप, lit=heap, ) is a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing relics (such as ''śarīra'' – typically the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns) that is used as a place of meditation. In Buddhism, circumambu ...

s, wooden stūpa. A Buddha statue in the attitude of subduing Mara, named Luang Pho Dam is a principal Buddha statue.

Geography

Hiran Ruchi is a northwest part of the district. The area covered from the inbound side of Intharaphithak Road to the left side of

Wong Wian Yai Wongwian Yai, also spelled "Wong Wian Yai" or "Wongwien Yai" ( th, วงเวียนใหญ่, ; ), is a large roundabout (traffic circle) in Thonburi, on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, Thailand, where the statue of Kin ...

(left side of King Taksin monument at Wong Wian Yai) up till the inbound side of Prajadhipok Road to

Itsaraphap Road 250px, Itsaraphap Road in the phase of Chinorot Wittayalai School (left) and Royal Thai Navy Headquarters (right). Itsaraphap Road ( th, ถนนอิสรภาพ, ) is a main road in Bangkok's Thonburi side (west bank of Chao Phraya River), i ...

at Ban Khaek Intersection. An area is bounded by other sub-districts (from north clockwise):

Wat Kanlaya Wat Kanlaya ( th, วัดกัลยาณ์, ) is a ''khwaeng'' (sub-district) of Thon Buri District, Bangkok's Thonburi side, regarded as the northeast area of the district adjacent to the Chao Phraya River's west side. History and prese ...

in its district (Itsaraphap Road is a borderline), Somdet Chao Phraya in Khlong San District (Prajadhipok Road is a borderline),

Bang Yi Ruea Bang Yi Ruea ( th, บางยี่เรือ, ) is a '' khwaeng'' (sub-district) in Thon Buri district, Thonburi side of Bangkok. It has a total area of 1.523 km2 (round about 0.588 mi2). History Originally, this area was called "Bang Sakae ...

in its district (Intharaphithak Road is a borderline), Wat Tha Phra in Bangkok Yai District ( Khlong Bangkok Yai is a borderline).

Places of interest

Hiran Ruchi is a historic area as well as its neighbouring, Wat Kanlaya. It is considered an area where people of various races and religions (Thai Buddhist,

Chinese Buddhism Chinese Buddhism or Han Buddhism ( zh, s=汉传佛教, t=漢傳佛教, p=Hànchuán Fójiào) is a Chinese form of Mahayana Buddhism which has shaped Chinese culture in a wide variety of areas including art, politics, literature, philosophy, ...

, Christian, Islam, Mon) have coexisted since the Thonburi period more than 200 years ago. *Ban Khaek, is a

four-way intersection An intersection or an at-grade junction is a junction where two or more roads converge, diverge, meet or cross at the same height, as opposed to an interchange, which uses bridges or tunnels to separate different roads. Major intersections a ...

where Prajadhipok crosses with Itsaraphap Roads. Its name literally means 'house of Islamic', since it has been a community of Thai Muslims for a long time since the past and mixed with other religious beliefs of local people. *Ban Sillapa Thai (Thai art house), the production house of

Khon Khon ( th, โขน, ) is a dance drama genre from Thailand. Khon has been performed since the Ayutthaya Kingdom. It is traditionally performed solely in the royal court by men in masks accompanied by narrators and a traditional piphat ensembl ...

masks, dressing clothes and decoration for Khon plays, paper and plaster dolls and made-to-order works either for show or for house decoration. The house owner was selected from the National Cultural Committees to receive the award of distinguished cultural artist in the field of arts, crafts and craftsmanship of the central region (Bangkok Metropolitan) in 1991, including many other awards from various institutions. *Ban Lao Community, also known as Bang Sai Kai Community, it has a population of over 1,000. Originally, the ancestors of the community migrated from

Kingdom of Vientiane Kingdom of Vientiane was formed in 1707 as a result of the split of the Kingdom of Lan Xang. The kingdom was a Burmese vassal from 1765 to 1824. It then became a Siamese vassal until 1828 when it was annexed by Siam. History In 1779, under ...

(now

Vientiane Vientiane ( , ; lo, ວຽງຈັນ, ''Viangchan'', ) is the capital and largest city of Laos. Vientiane is divided administratively into 9 cities with a total area of only approx. 3,920 square kilometres and is located on the banks of ...

, Laos) during the early of Rattanakosin period. Ban Lao is well known among the musicians who play Thai instruments, as being a source that produces extremely good quality ''

khlui The ''khlui'' ( th, ขลุ่ย, ) is a vertical duct bamboo flute from Thailand. Originated before or during the Sukhothai period (AD 1238–1583) along with many other Thai instruments. But, it was officially recorded as a Thai instrume ...

'' (Thai wooden flute). Originally, the people of Ban Lao only made khlui to play in their community, until around 1960s they have taken it up as a profession. But nowadays, only a handful of households still produce khlui. Ban Lao is a community located behind Bansomdejchaopraya Rajabhat University (BSRU) along

canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flo ...

Khlong Bang Sai Kai. The community has Wat Bang Sai Kai, also known as Wat Lao as the centre. ''Pla som'' (pickled fish) is a unique food of community.

References

{{reflist Thon Buri district Subdistricts of Bangkok