Putting history into the context of the preservation of Bangkok involves not just fine old buildings and ancient relics, but actual names which evoke past glories on the battlefield.
A section of the Phran Nok Road, which is packed with shophouses and old communities, will be given back its former name of Wang Lang Road to remind people of its history. APICHART JINAKUL
Late last month, one section of a historic road was given back its former name to relive one such heroic moment.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) renamed a section of the Phran Nok Road "Wang Lang Road". This stretch starts from where Phran Nok Road intersects Itsaraphap Road to the Siriraj Hospital pier.
Deputy city clerk Jumpol Sampaopol ordered two of the BMA's agencies - the Public Works Department and the Administration and Registration Office - to study the history of the Thon Buri side of Bangkok.
Searching among dusty files dating back many decades, BMA staff confirmed their suspicions that the section of the road was originally called Wang Lang. There was no record as to how it came to be known as Phran Nok.
Mr Jumpol said Wang Lang was one of 10 roads commissioned by the order of King Prajadhipok (Rama VII) to celebrate Bangkok's 150th anniversary as Thailand's capital in 1932.
The King bestowed the names of roads to associate them with victories in battles of bygone days.
Wang Lang identifies the position of the lord commander who was charged with protecting the country in times of war during the reign of King Rama I.
Among the other roads is Lat Ya Road, which was named in commemoration of the army's victory over Burmese troops at the Battle of Thung Lat Ya in what is now Kanchanaburi in 1785. Meanwhile, Chiang Mai Road remembers the military's crushing defeat of a mutiny in Chiang Mai more than a century ago.
The BMA's committee which supervises signs and names of public places decided to restore the name of Wang Lang Road, literally meaning the Rear Palace Road.
The remaining section will still be called Phran Nok Road.
"Those royally bestowed names depict our war victories and the tremendous contributions and the majesty of our kings who protected the country," Mr Jumpol said.
In the old days, Wang Lang Road cut through an important commercial district in the inner area of Thon Buri.
There are many important places, often with a long history, nearby: Siriraj Hospital, Thon Buri railway station, Wat Amarindrarama Varavihara temple, Thammasat University, Sanam Luang Ground, the Grand Palace, Silpakorn University, the Bangkok Naval Base, the Naval Dockyard, Wat Rakhang Khositaram temple and Ban Chang Lor community whose artisans are renowned for producing fine-quality Buddha images.
Today,Wang Lang Road is an important link between Itsaraphap Road and Arun Amarin Road. It connects a food market near Phran Nok intersection to business areas and government offices in the vicinity of Siriraj Hospital.
There are also the busy Wang Lang and Phran Nok piers where numerous commuters ferry across the Chao Phraya River every day.
The ferry service connects Thon Buri to Bangkok's historic precinct with iconic landmarks such as the Grand Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha.
According to Suphapong Krisanaphant, director of the BMA's Administration and Registration Office, the naming or renaming of roads requires careful consideration.
The committee supervising the names comprises the deputy city clerk who oversees the Administration and Registration Office; representatives of the Royal Institute and the Fine Arts Department; directors of the BMA's Public Works Department, Traffic and Transportation Department, Department of Drainage and Sewerage and Department City Planning; chiefs of the relevant district offices; the director of the Administration and Registration Office and the head of the office's registration administration unit.
Mr Suphapong said quite a few new names have been registered for the streets, roads and sois in Bangkok. Most of these have been small roads.
In 2009 and 2010, however, more than 100 sois were renamed each year in Nong Chok and Min Buri districts where the addresses were changed from the numbering to the name system.