﻿248 
  

  

  THE 
  NATIONAL 
  GEOGRAPHIC 
  MAGAZINE 
  

  

  Bangkok's 
  wat 
  po, 
  showing 
  the 
  huge 
  prachedis 
  covered 
  with 
  varicolored 
  

   porcelain 
  (sick 
  text, 
  page 
  243) 
  

  

  The 
  beautiful 
  Buddhist 
  temples 
  give 
  Bangkok 
  a 
  notable 
  appearance. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  modern 
  city 
  

   of 
  half 
  a 
  million 
  inhabitants. 
  Until 
  1769 
  it 
  was 
  merely 
  an 
  agricultural 
  village, 
  but 
  in 
  that 
  

   year 
  it 
  became 
  the 
  headquarters 
  of 
  Paya 
  Tak, 
  who 
  drove 
  out 
  the 
  Burmese 
  and 
  became 
  King 
  

   of 
  Siam. 
  

  

  