The Devahastin family ( th, เทพหัสดิน, ) is a Thai family of royal descent, tracing its origins from Prince

Thepharirak Somdet Phra Samphanthawong Thoe Chaofa Krommaluang Thep-harirak ( th, สมเด็จพระสัมพันธวงศ์เธอ เจ้าฟ้ากรมหลวงเทพหริรักษ์, 1759–1805), birth name Tan ( ...

, a nephew 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 Tha ...

. Its best known member was Sanan Devahastin na Ayudhya, better known by his noble title

Chaophraya Thammasakmontri Sanan Devahastin na Ayudhya (also spelled Thephasadin among other variants; th, สนั่น เทพหัสดิน ณ อยุธยา, , ; 1 January 1877 – 1 February 1943), better known by his noble title Chaophraya Thammasakmont ...

, a senior government official of the 1920s–1930s.

History

The family traces descent from Phraya Ratchaphakdi (Mom Rajawongse Chang), whom sources describe as either a grandson or a son of Prince

, himself a nephew of King

. The family name was granted by King

Vajiravudh Vajiravudh ( th, วชิราวุธ, , 1 January 188126 November 1925) was the sixth monarch of Siam under the Chakri dynasty as Rama VI. He ruled from 23 October 1910 until his death in 1925. King Vajiravudh is best known for his efforts ...

(Rama VI) to Phraya Phaisansinlapasat (

Sanan Devahastin na Ayudhya Sanan Devahastin na Ayudhya (also spelled Thephasadin among other variants; th, สนั่น เทพหัสดิน ณ อยุธยา, , ; 1 January 1877 – 1 February 1943), better known by his noble title Chaophraya Thammasakmont ...

, later to become Chaophraya Thammasakmontri) in 1913 when he decreed the use of surnames. The romanized spelling, which does not reflect the Thai pronunciation, is based on the Sanskrit root words ''deva'' and ''

hastin Hastin (हस्तिन्) is a term for elephant used in Vedic texts. Other terms for elephant include Ibha (इभ) and Vārana (वारण). The elephant in the Rigveda In Rig Veda 1.84.17 and 4.4.1. and probably other instances the Rig ...

'', which roughly mean 'god' and 'elephant' (a reference to the name ''Chang'', which also means 'elephant'). The name is suffixed with ''na Ayudhya'', indicating royal descent.

People

Notable members of the family include: *

(Sanan Devahastin na Ayudhya, 1877–1943), senior government official, grandson of Chang *

Phraya Thephatsadin Phraya Thephatsadin ( th, พระยาเทพหัสดิน), personal name Phat Thephatsadin na Ayutthaya ( th, ผาด เทพหัสดิน ณ อยุธยา; the surname is also spelled as Devahastin na Ayudhya) was a T ...

(Phat Devahastin na Ayudhya, 1878–1951), military general, nephew of Sanan * (Santhat Devahastin na Ayudhya, 1880/1881–1948), first Commissioner of

Chulalongkorn University Chulalongkorn University (CU, th, จุฬาลงกรณ์มหาวิทยาลัย, ), nicknamed Chula ( th, จุฬาฯ), is a public and autonomous research university in Bangkok, Thailand. The university was originally fo ...

, brother of Sanan * (1904–1985), government minister * (1905–1976), government minister * Devahastin na Ayudhya (1915–2007), architect and city planner, daughter of Sanan * (1917–1997), military general and government minister * (born 1950), military general, political strategist for

Palang Pracharath Party Palang Pracharath Party ( th, พรรคพลังประชารัฐ, ; ) is a Thai civil-military political party with ties to the National Council for Peace and Order, the military junta that ruled the country after the 2014 coup. It ...

, Secretary-General of the

National Olympic Committee of Thailand The National Olympic Committee of Thailand under the Royal Patronage of His Majesty the King ( th, คณะกรรมการโอลิมปิกแห่งประเทศไทย ในพระบรมราชูปถัมภ� ...

; son of Yos * (born 1984), actor, grandson of Yos and nephew of Wit In 2010, a member of the family, identified by the nickname Praewa, was involved in a on the

Don Mueang Tollway Uttaraphimuk Elevated Tollway or colloquial name Don Muang Tollway, or just Tollway, Don Muang Tollway Public Company Limited (the Company) is the provider of tollway transport service for the section of Din Daeng District - Anusornsathan as a ...

, which resulted in the deaths of nine van passengers. She was driving underage without a licence, and the case sparked a huge amount of online public outrage. The case resurfaced in 2019, when it was revealed that the victims' families had not yet received their court-ordered financial compensation, prompting the Devahastin family to hold a press conference where, among other things, it pointed out that the clan comprised over 200 individual families and should not be blamed for the actions of one individual.

Notes

References

{{reflist Families descended from the Chakri dynasty