Phahurat

Phahurat or Pahurat ( _th. พาหุรัด), often known as Thailand's Little India, is an ethnic neighborhood surrounding Phahurat Road in Phra Nakhon District, Bangkok. The area that would become Phahurat was an enclave of Vietnamese immigrants who came to Siam during the reign of King Taksin (1768-1782). In 1898, a fire broke out and paved way for a road [cite web|url=http://www.muangboranjournal.com/modules.php?name=Sections&op=viewarticle&artid=44|title=From Phahurat to Mingmueang Market|author=Pranee Klumsom|publisher=Mueang Boran journal|accessdate=2007-06-05|language=Thai] which was named "Phahurat" by King Chulalongkorn in remembrance of his daughter Princess Phahurat Manimai ( _th. สมเด็จพระเจ้าลูกเธอ เจ้าฟ้าพาหุรัดมณีมัย) who had died at the age of 10. [cite web|url=http://arcbs.bsru.ac.th/rLocal/print.php?story=03/06/11/5282435 |title=Phahurat, rLocal Database|publisher=Bansomdejchaopraya Rajabhat University|accessdate=2007-06-05|language=Thai]

Many of today's Phahurat residents are of South Asian descent. A Sikh community settled down in the area a century ago and established a textile trading center that is still thriving today. Their temple, the golden-domed Siri Guru Singh Sabha, is a landmark of Phahurat. In addition to the Sikh community, the neighborhood is also home to a number of South Asian Hindus and Muslims.

Although the sprawling of Chinese shops from the nearby Chinatown are slowly spilling over into Phahurat, South Asian restaurants and businesses are still prevalent in the area. The area is also the site of some of the more unusual markets and shopping malls in Bangkok, including the sprawling Sampeng Market, the colonial-styled The Old Siam Plaza, and the new four-storey India Emporium.

ee also

*Sikhism in Thailand

References