350px, Samsen Road in the phase of Thewet Naruemit Bridge (view backward to Phra Nakhon side) Samsen or spelled Sam Sen ( th, สามเสน, ) is a road and neighbourhood in Bangkok considered to be one of Bangkok's oldest. Samsen road starts from Bang Lamphu intersection in the area of

Bang Lamphu Bang Lamphu or spelled Banglampoo and Banglamphu ( th, บางลำพู, ; in the past, it was often misspelled บางลำภู) is a neighbourhood in Bangkok located in Phra Nakhon District. The history of the Bang Lamphu community da ...

within Phra Nakhon district and wends northeast to

Dusit Dusit () is the Thai name for Tushita, the fourth heavenly realm in Buddhist cosmology. The name may refer to: * Dusit District, a district of Bangkok *Dusit Palace, namesake of the district * Dusit Subdistrict, Bangkok, in Dusit District * Dusit S ...

district as far as it ends at

Kiakkai Kiakkai or Kiak Kai ( th, เกียกกาย, ) is an intersection and neighbourhood in Bangkok's Thanon Nakhon Chai Si Subdistrict, Dusit District. The term ''Kiakkai'' is an old Thai word meaning "Provisions Department" (comparable to ...

intersection, covering 4.6 km (2.8 mi). It runs parallel to east

Chao Phraya river The Chao Phraya ( or ; th, แม่น้ำเจ้าพระยา, , or ) is the major river in Thailand, with its low alluvial plain forming the centre of the country. It flows through Bangkok and then into the Gulf of Thailand. Et ...

all the route.

History

Samsen began in

Ayutthaya period The Ayutthaya Kingdom (; th, อยุธยา, , IAST: or , ) was a Siamese kingdom that existed in Southeast Asia from 1351 to 1767, centered around the city of Ayutthaya, in Siam, or present-day Thailand. The Ayutthaya Kingdom is conside ...

(1351–1767) in the reign of King Narai (1633–88). Portuguese came to live and work in the kingdom and the king allowed them to settle in Samsen. At that time, this area was a

paddy field A paddy field is a flooded field (agriculture), field of arable land used for growing Aquatic plant, semiaquatic crops, most notably rice and taro. It originates from the Neolithic rice-farming cultures of the Yangtze River basin in sout ...

and canal by Khlong Samsen (Samsen canal), which is believed to be a natural canal. The Portuguese founded Immaculate Conception Church in around 1674, the oldest church in Thailand. In the reigns of King Phutthayotfa Chulalok (Rama I) and King

Nangklao Nangklao ( th, พระบาทสมเด็จพระนั่งเกล้าเจ้าอยู่หัว, ; 31 March 1788 – 2 April 1851), birth name Thap ( th, ทับ), also styled Rama III, was the third king of Siam u ...

(Rama III) of Rattanakosin kingdom, Christians

Khmers The Khmer people ( km, ជនជាតិខ្មែរ, ) are a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Cambodia. They comprise over 90% of Cambodia's population of 17 million.

and

Annamese The Vietnamese people ( vi, người Việt, lit=Viet people) or Kinh people ( vi, người Kinh) are a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to modern-day Northern Vietnam and Southern China (Jing Islands, Dongxing, Guangxi). The native lang ...

(Vietnamese) who escaped crackdowns in their country migrated to Siam (now Thailand). They were allowed by the king to settle in the area nearby Portuguese's church in Samsen. The area became known as "Ban Khmer" (บ้านเขมร) and "Ban Yuan" (บ้านญวน). Samsen has at least two Thai temples, which date to the Ayutthaya period or earlier, including

Wat Rachathiwat A wat ( km, វត្ត, ; lo, ວັດ, ; th, วัด, ; khb, 「ᩅᨯ᩠ᨰ」(waD+Dha); nod, 「ᩅ᩠ᨯ᩶」（w+Da2)) is a type of Buddhist temple and Hindu temple in Cambodia, Laos, East Shan State, Yunnan, the Southern Provi ...

and Wat Thewarat Kunchorn. In the past, the area of Samsen to

Pak Kret Pak Kret ( th, ปากเกร็ด, ) is a city (''thesaban nakhon'') in Nonthaburi province, Thailand. It lies in the Central Thai plains on the east bank of the lower Chao Phraya River, bordering Bangkok to the east, Mueang Nonthaburi d ...

in Nonthaburi used to be a place where abundance of

toli shad The toli shad or Chinese herring (''Tenualosa toli'') is a fish of the family Clupeidae, a species of shad distributed in the western Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal to the Java Sea and the South China Sea. It may be found in Mauritius and th ...

(''Tenualosa toli'') was found. They will swim from the sea to spawn in freshwater sources on the Chao Phraya river in Bangkok area to the north. Therefore, they are fished in large numbers and causing to be in an endangered state at present. 350px, The eponymous Khlong Samsen at the point where it confluence Chao Phraya River

Etymology

"Samsen" has no specific meaning in

Thai Thai or THAI may refer to: * Of or from Thailand, a country in Southeast Asia ** Thai people, the dominant ethnic group of Thailand ** Thai language, a Tai-Kadai language spoken mainly in and around Thailand *** Thai script *** Thai (Unicode block ...

. It may have derived from Pali or from Bahasa Melayu. Legendarily a floating Buddha statue required up to three hundred thousand people to raise it from the water. "Samsen" is similar to "Sam Saen", which means three hundred thousand. This Buddha is a Buddha statue in stopping the rainstorm attitude enshrined in front of Samsen Police Station today, namely

Luang Por Luang por (; , ) means "venerable father" and is used as a title for respected senior Buddhist monastics. ''Luang'' is a Thai word meaning "royal" or "venerable". It is used in both family context and to express respect for monastics. ''Por'' is ...

Phuttha Samsen, or known in short as Luang Por Samsen. Two related sub-districts are Samsen Nai in Phaya Thai and Samsen Nok in

Huai Khwang Huai Khwang ( th, ห้วยขวาง, ) is one of the 50 districts (khet) of Bangkok, Thailand. It is east of the city centre. Neighbouring districts are Chatuchak, Wang Thonglang, Bang Kapi, Suan Luang, Watthana, Ratchathewi, and Din D ...

districts. They are connected to Khlong Samsen rather than the road.

Road

Although it is short, Samsen road runs through historic and important places such as

Bang Khun Phrom Palace The Bang Khun Phrom Palace ( th, วังบางขุนพรหม) is a former royal residence in Bangkok, Thailand. It served as the residence of Prince Paribatra Sukhumbandhu until his forced exile following the Siamese revolution of 193 ...

and

Bank of Thailand The Bank of Thailand (BOT) ( Abrv: ธปท.; th, ธนาคารแห่งประเทศไทย, ) is the central bank of Thailand. History The Bank of Thailand (BOT) was first set up as the Thai National Banking Bureau. The Bank ...

with Thewawes Palace, Thewet Bridge, Immaculate Conception Church, Saint Francis Xavier Church,

Saint Gabriel's College Saint Gabriel's College ( th, โรงเรียนเซนต์คาเบรียล) is a private Catholic all-boys school in Bangkok, Thailand. The school was founded by the Brothers of Saint Gabriel in 1920. The school educates stud ...

Vajira Hospital Vajira Hospital ( th, วชิรพยาบาล, ) is one of the first hospitals in Thailand, founded by King Rama VI. It is a teaching university hospital of the Faculty of Medicine Vajira Hospital, Navamindradhiraj University; the Faculty o ...

, Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University,

Sukhothai Palace Sukhothai Palace or Sukhodaya Palace ( th, วังศุโขทัย; ) is a royal residence situated on Samsen Road in Dusit District, Bangkok, Thailand. It is nearby to Dusit Palace and Vajira Hospital. The palace was the residence of King ...

, National Library and Royal Pier, Thavasuki, Wat Bot Samsen,

Boon Rawd Brewery Boon Rawd Brewery ( th, บริษัท บุญรอดบริวเวอรี่ จำกัด) is a well-known Thai brewery founded in 1933 by Phraya Bhirom Bhakdi (Boonrawd Sreshthaputra). It also produces soft drinks and bottled dr ...

Headquarters and

Sappaya-Sapasathan The Sappaya-Sapasathan ( th, สัปปายะสภาสถาน, , ) is the third and current meeting place of the National Assembly (Thailand), National Assembly of Thailand, the bicameral legislative branch of the Government of Thailand. ...

, the new

Parliament House Parliament House may refer to: Australia * Parliament House, Canberra, Parliament of Australia * Parliament House, Adelaide, Parliament of South Australia * Parliament House, Brisbane, Parliament of Queensland * Parliament House, Darwin, Parliame ...

. The road also a location of five piers for Chao Phraya Express Boat: Thewet (N15), Payap (N18), Irrigation Dept. (N19), Kheaw Khai Ka (N20), and Kiak Kai (N21). In addition, at the point that it intersects with

Ratchawithi road Bang Phlat Intersection where Ratchawithi Road ends Ratchawithi Road, also spelled Rajvithi ( th, ถนนราชวิถี, ) is a major road in Bangkok, Thailand. It begins in Ratchathewi district at Sam Liam Din Daeng Junction, where it i ...

(Sang Hi intersection) near the Krungthon Bridge (Sang Hi Bridge) on Ratchawithi road is also the location of the San Chao Mae Thapthim Samsen, a Chinese shrine of

Shui Wei Sheng Niang Shui Wei Sheng Niang (; pinyin: ''Shuǐ wěi shèng niáng''; Thai: ''Chaomae Thongkham'', ''Chaomae Thapthim'') is a Hainan goddess that is worshiped by the Hainanese around the world, especially they who lives on the waterfront area. She is o ...

, goddess of the sea according to the belief of

Hainanese Hainanese (Hainan Romanised: ', Hainanese Pinyin: ',), also known as Qióngwén, Heng2 vun2 () or Qióngyǔ, Heng2 yi2 (), is a group of Min Chinese varieties spoken in the southern Chinese island province of Hainan and Overseas Chinese su ...

since ancient times, similar to

Mazu Mazu or Matsu is a Chinese sea goddess also known by several other names and titles. She is the deified form of the legendary figure Lin Mo or Lin Moniang, a Fujianese shamaness whose life span is traditionally dated from 960 to 987. Re ...

. It is considered to be her oldest shrine in Bangkok, believed to have been built since the reign of King Nangklao. Samsen road is also the administrative boundary line in the following ''

khwaeng A ''khwaeng'' (, ) is an administrative subdivision used in the fifty districts of Bangkok and a few other city municipalities in Thailand. Currently, there are 180 ''khwaeng'' in Bangkok. A ''khwaeng'' is roughly equivalent to a ''tambon'' in othe ...

s'' (sub-districts): *Chana Songkhram (left) and

Talat Yot Talat Yot ( th, ตลาดยอด, ) is a ''khwaeng'' (subdistrict) of Phra Nakhon District, Bangkok, considered to be majority area of Bang Lamphu neighbourhood. History Its name after Talat Yot, a large marketplace that used to be located in ...

(right) in Phra Nakhon district from Bang Lamphu intersection to Nararat Sathan bridge * Wat Sam Phraya (left) and

Ban Phan Thom Ban Phan Thom ( th, บ้านพานถม, ) is a community and a ''khwaeng'' (sub-district) of Phra Nakhon District, Bangkok. History Ban Phan Thom is a traditional community since the early Rattanakosin period alike Ban Bu and Ban Chang ...

(right) in Phra Nakhon district from the Nararat Sathan bridge to Bang Khun Phrom intersection * Wat Sam Phraya (left) and Bang Khun Phrom (right) in Phra Nakhon district, from Bang Khun Phrom intersection to Thewet Naruemit bridge * Wachiraphayaban (left) and

(right) in Dusit district, from the Thewet Naruemit to Sophon bridges

References

{{coord, 13, 47, 0.41, N, 100, 30, 43.63, E, type:adm3rd_region:TH-10, display=title Phra Nakhon district Dusit district Neighbourhoods of Bangkok Streets in Bangkok Populated places on the Chao Phraya River Buildings and structures on the Chao Phraya River