Although there have been many theories about the origin of the name “Pan”, it is no secret to Silom locals that Pan Road was named after Pan (Na Songkhla) Vajrabhaya (often referred to by her honorific as “Than Pan Upakar Khosakorn”).

A Siamese noblewoman married to a high ranking civil servant, she graciously allowed the public use of a road cut through her property. She was a devout Buddhist, and donated land to establish the Wat Suthiwararm school and temple in the Sathon district.

Many names of streets and buildings in this area still bear the name of the original property owners, such as Soi Vaitee and Narai Hotel. In fact, as part of a land swap, Messrs. Vaitee and Narai procured land from Than Pan to establish the Srimahamariamman Hindu Temple still standing on the corner of Silom and Pan roads today. In return, she received land to add to the temple grounds of Wat Suthiwararm on Charoenkrung Road.