Phran Nok, also spelled Pran Nok or Prannok (Thai: พรานนก, pronounced [pʰrāːn nók]) is a name of the street in Ban Chang Lo and Siri Rat Subdistricts, Bangkok Noi District, Bangkok's Thonburi side. The name is also the surrounding area.
History & route
editPhran Nok Road is about two km (about one mi) long. It begins in front of the Prannok Pier on the bank of Chao Phraya River, runs a short distance passing Siriraj Hospital. This part of the road was officially renamed Wang Lang Road (ถนนวังหลัง, pronounced [tʰā.nǒn wāŋ lǔaŋ]) in 2012 following a cabinet resolution to reflect its history, where the road passed was once a rear palace (Wang Lang) in the early Rattanakosin period. Then it continues running to meet Charan Sanitwong Road at Fai Chai Intersection. According to the policy of Field Marshal Plaek Phibunsongkhram, the late Prime Minister who wanted to name the roads in Thonburi Province following the name of the importance battling places where King Taksin the Great fought for Siam independent in order to commemorate and honour the King. According to the policy of Field Marshal Plaek Phibunsongkhram, the late Prime Minister who wanted to name the roads in Thonburi Province following the name of the importance battling places where King Taksin the Great fought for Siam independent in order to commemorate and honour the King. Thereby, this road is named Phran Nok to follow the name of the first battlefield, Ban Phran Nok (currently in Uthai District, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province), where Phraya Vajiraprakarn (his highest title before becoming the King) defeated the Burmese army on January 4, 1767 before the second fall of Ayutthaya in the same year.[1][2]
Phran Nok Intersection, where the road cuts across Itsaraphap Road, and where Wang Lang Road ends. It is a source of many southern Thai restaurants, which lined up on the both sides of the road all the way to Wang Lang Market. Many of which are old. This is because in the vicinity is the Thonburi railway station, which was originally the destination of the southern railway. Moreover, in the nearby area, Fai Chai Intersection was also the location of the Southern Bus Terminal. As a result, Phran Nok and Wang Lang neighbourhoods are residential areas for southerners.[3][4]
Additionally, since Bangkok Noi is the birthplace of Sunthorn Phu, a famous poet who lived in the early Rattanakosin period, the names of the sois (alleys) on Phran Nok Road are named after characters in his masterpiece, Phra Aphai Mani including Soi Samudr and Soi Sudsakorn. There is also a statue of Sutsakorn riding a Maninmangkorn (a hybrid magical horse between a black horse and a dragon, similar to Chinese qilin) on the traffic island.
See more
editReferences
edit- ^ ""พรานนก" ชื่อนี้มาจากไหน? กลายเป็นชื่อย่าน-ถนนที่ฝั่งธนบุรีได้อย่างไร?" ["Phran Nok" Where did the name come from? How did it become the name of the neighbourhood-the road at the Thonburi side?]. Art & Culture (in Thai). 2021-01-08. Retrieved 2021-03-10.
- ^ Wancharoen, Supoj (21 July 2012). "History and past glories revisited". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
- ^ "หรอยอย่างแรง! "ดาวใต้" ร้านอาหารใต้ดาวเด่นย่านถนนวังหลัง" [Scrumptious! “Dao Tai", a prominent southern restaurant on Wang Lang Road]. Manager Daily (in Thai). 2023-06-10. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
- ^ "สำรวจ "วังหลัง-พรานนก" ย่าน "อาหารใต้" ทศวรรษก่อน กับร้านที่ พล.อ. เปรม ต้องมาเหมา" [Explore “Wang Lang-Pran Nok”, the “southern food” area from a decade ago with the restaurant that Gen Prem had to buy in bulk]. Art & Culture. 2023-03-27. Retrieved 2024-03-19.