Taksin Maharat Shrine, Tak

The Taksin Maharat Shrine in Tak is a shrine to King Taksin who ruled over the Kingdom of Thonburi (near Bangkok) from 1767 to 1782.

The Taksin Maharat Shrine is free to visit and is open to visitors during daylight hours.

About the Taksin Maharat Shrine

King Taksin is one of Thailand’s most revered Kings. What makes him notable is his victories over the Burmese who were at the time a major regional superpower with expansionist ambitions, frequently invading Thailand and other neighbouring countries. King Taksin ascended to the throne of the newly created Kingdom of Thonburi in 1767 after Burmese forces successively invaded Ayutthaya, which before had been the most important city in Thailand.

During the decisive battle which resulted in the fall of Ayutthaya in 1767 the future King Taksin lead a small group of soldiers out of Ayutthaya to Chanthaburi in the east of Thailand, where he regrouped, recruited more men to his army and made his way to Thonburi. Thonburi was established as the new capital city replacing Ayutthaya, and he was crowned King in place of the King of Ayutthaya, who died from starvation whilst hiding from the Burmese invaders in a nearby forest.

King Taksin fought against Burmese forces several times after 1767, each time successfully repelling their attacks and at the same time as engaging in a campaign of nation building by subjugating other Kingdoms in Thailand. By driving out the Burmese and taking over rival Thai Kingdoms, King Taksin is in a very real respect the ‘Father of Modern Thailand’. His reward, however, was to be toppled from power during a coup in 1782 and later executed by his top general who in turn became King Rama I, the first King of Thailand’s current royal family, the Chakri Dynasty.

There are lots of shrines to King Taksin all over Thailand, but what makes the Taksin Maharat Shrine in Tak special is that King Taksin was Governor of Tak at an earlier stage in his career. The name ‘Taksin’ is in fact derived from his given name of ‘Sin’ and the name of the town. ‘Taksin’ means Sin from Tak.

Taksin Maharat Shrine itself is magnificent work of art in its own right. Around the main shrine building are landscaped garden, with fountains, some fantastic statues of horses, and a very large number of mass produced painted plaster statues of animals. The shrine building is a pyramid shaped mondop, which is a traditional building design widely used in Thai Buddhist temples. Inside the shrine building is a statue of King Taksin and some very good wall murals showing key moments in the life of King Taksin.

Location of the Taksin Maharat Shrine

• The Taksin Maharat Shrine is located 1.1 km walking distance from Tak Bus Terminal.