The first mile stone for the Chakri dynasty was laid by King Rama I in the year 1782 when he made Bangkok city, the capital of Thailand. He is the founder of the Chakri Dynasty. Till date this is the royal hose of ruling in Thailand. King Rama I is considered as a great warrior of great valor as he stopped the continuous battles that took place in Thailand because of the Burmese who threatened to invade Thailand. It was King Rama I who consolidated the entire Thai Kingdom. He ruled the dynasty from the year 1782 to 1809.

The name and the emblem of the dynasty were chosen by King Rama I himself. The Chakri which is the name and the emblem of the dynasty is made of a chakra and a trisula also called a trident. This is the weapon of God Narayana. The excelling force of strength and divine stability over the region is denoted by the name Chakri. During his rule literature was at its peak. Indian Ramayana was written in Thai, Chinese classic etc were few of the well known works written during King Rama Is period.

The Chakri dynasty was ruled by the decendants of King Rama I. following King Rama I King Rama II took over. He being a poet himself improved the standard of literature to great extents. His reign lasted from 1809 to 1824. Following him was King Phra Nangklao who took over Thailand from the year 1824 to 1851. In his short period of rule he didn’t give much importance to literature or art work.

King Mongkut the forth king of the dynasty took over the throne in the year 1851. He spent 27 years of his life in monkhood. He learnt many languages like English and Latin. He studied Buddhism, astrology math and science. Following him to the throne was King Chulalonkorn. It was in his reign that the Chakri dynasty saw its golden age. He improved the entire dynasty in terms of education and infrastructure. The entire government was reorganized by him. It was during the period of King Chulalongkorn slavery was abolished in Thailand. It was only because of his effort Thailand retained its freedom from the English rule.

King Vajiravudh took over the dynasty after King Chulalonkorn following him to the throne was King Prajadhipok after whom the dynasty was ruled by King Ananda Mahidol.

The ninth and the present King of the dynasty is King Bhumibol Adulyadej. He took over the dynasty in the year 1946. His reign is said to have a blossoming relationship when it come to the king and country people. The kingdom transformed from sole monarch rule to constitutional democracy. Though initially this transformation was hard it later turned out to be very successful. Chakri dynasty is said to be the dynasty whose rule has lasted till the present generation. More than 220 years of rule has been covered by the Chakri dynasty and in all these years the independence and unity of the people have been preserved and guarded.

Chakri dance

Chakri is a very famous folk dance performed in the northern regions of India. It is the folk dance of a particular tribe called the Kanjar tribe. This tribe belongs to Rajasthan. They live in parts of the Kota district and the district of Baran. Chakri dance is performed in marriages and in festivals held in Haroti which is a part of Rajasthan. Durong marragies this dance is performed when the bridegroom’s family arrives at the wedding spot. The Chakri dance is performed only by women and they have made this form of art their main source of income. The Chakri dance is said to be similar to the Raai dance. In Madhya Pradesh a tribe of people called the Beriyas perform this Raai dance.

From the word Chakri it is clear that the dance has to do with chakkar meaning circles in English. The Chakri dances main style is the fast and very vigorous spins made by the dancers that go with the beat of the song. The musical instrument that is played while the female dancers perform is the Dholak. Thali is also another instrument played in the background but this is not used very often. The male singers sing songs and produce amazing rhythm for the dancers.

The Chakri dance is said to have mixed elements of various dance forms. But the very prominently visible form of dance in the Chakri is the Chang dance. The Chang dance is performed before and at the end of Holi festival. The main motive of this dance is pure entertainment.