Phahurat

Phahurat or Pahurat (Thai: 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[1] which was named "Bahurada", commonly spelled today as Phahurat or Pahurat (as it is pronounced), by King Chulalongkorn in remembrance of his daughter Princess Bahurada Manimaya (RTGS: Phahurat Manimai) (Thai: สมเด็จพระเจ้าลูกเธอ เจ้าฟ้าพาหุรัดมณีมัย) who had died at young age.[2]

Dome of Gurudwara Siri Guru Singh Sabha seen behind shophouses. The Sikh temple is a landmark of Phahurat neighborhood.
Phahurat Road, the center of the neighborhood.

Many of today's Phahurat residents are of South Asian descent. A Sikh community settled there more than a century ago and established a textile trading center that is still thriving. The golden-domed Siri Guru Singh Sabha temple is a landmark of Phahurat. The neighborhood is also home to South Asian Hindus and Muslims.

The sprawling of Chinese shops from the nearby Chinatown are slowly encroaching on Phahurat, but South Asian restaurants and businesses still dominate the area. It is home to some of Bangkok's more unusual shopping sites, including the sprawling Sampeng Market, The Old Siam Plaza, and the four-storey India Emporium.

See also

References
  1. Pranee Klumsom. "From Phahurat to Mingmueang Market" (in Thai). Mueang Boran journal. Archived from the original on 2011-10-01. Retrieved 2007-06-05.
  2. "Phahurat, rLocal Database" (in Thai). Bansomdejchaopraya Rajabhat University. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-06-05.


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