When is King Taksin Memorial Day?
King Taksin Memorial Day is December 28th, marking the coronation of this important 18th-century king.
In recent years, the Thai cabinet has approved King Taksin Memorial Day, as an extra national holiday for eight eastern provinces -- Nakhon Nayok, Prachin Buri, Sa Kaeo, Chachoengsao, Chon Buri, Rayong, Chanthaburi, and Trat.
History of King Taksin Memorial Day
King Taksin the Great or the King of Thonburi was the only King of the Thonburi Kingdom. He had been an aristocrat in the Ayutthaya Kingdom and became a major figure during the liberation of Siam from Burmese occupation after the Second Fall of Ayutthaya in 1767, and the subsequent unification of Siam after it fell under various warlords.
On December 28th 1767, Taksin was crowned King of Siam at Thonburi Palace in Thonburi, the new capital of Siam. Taksin had established the city of Thonburi as the new capital after the city of Ayutthaya had been almost completely destroyed by the invaders.
In recognition of what he did for the Thais, he was later awarded the title of Maharaj - The Great.
In 1981 the Thai cabinet passed a resolution to bestow on King Taksin the honorary title of the Great. With the intention of glorifying Thai monarchs in history who have been revered and honored with the title The Great, the Bank of Thailand issued the 12th Series of banknotes, called The Great Series, in three denominations: 10, 20, and 100 Baht.
The monument of King Taksin the Great in Chanthaburi's Tungnachaey recreational park appears on the back of the 20-Baht note issued December 28, 1981.
