The Grand palace
After Wat Pho, we walked for 15 minutes on the pavement along the compound of the Palace to reach the entrance. The road next to the pavement was extremely congested on just one way. After a short queue and paying 500 bahts (bit high isn’t it – but that includes Vimanmek Mansion entrance fee), we managed to get in. I was bit taken aback with the crowd. The huge Palace grounds were overshadowed by people and we had to take turns to visit individual attractions inside the Palace as they are not baby stroller friendly. Maybe, early in the morning or almost near the closing time – Palace may be even more appealing. These are treat to our eyes as the previous day offered too much temple ruins.
Bit more from the pamphlets
The Grand Palace complex was established in 1782 and it consists of not only the royal residence and throne halls, but also a number of government offices as well as the renowned Temple of the Emerald Buddha. It covers an area of 218000 square metres and is surrounded by four walls, 1.9 Kms in length. After King Rama I ascended to the throne in 1782, this palace was built. Prior to this, the royal palace and centre of administration had been located in Thonburi, on the west side of the Chao Phraya River. For various reasons, the new king considered the former capital to be unsuitable and decided to establish a new capital on the other side of the river. By his Royal command, a new palace was built to serve, not only as his residence but also as the site of administrative offices. The royal compound has been known since then as the Grand Palace. The two earliest structures erected with the complex were Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall and Phra Maha Monthian.
The Royal monastery of the Emerald Buddha
North of the royal residence and linked by a connecting gateway lies the Royal Monastery of the Emerald Buddha, one of the most venerated sites in Thailand where people convene to pay respect to the Lord Buddha and His Teachings. The Emerald Buddha is enshrined on a golden traditional Thai-style throne made of gilded-carved wood, known as a Busabok, in the ordination hall of the royal monastery. The sacred image is clad with one of the three seasonal costumes (summer, rainy season, and winter). The costumes are changed three times an in year a ceremony presided over by His Majesty the King. The Emerald Buddha is in fact carved from a block of green jade and was first discovered in 1434 in a stupa in Chiang Rai. At that time the image was covered with plaster and was thought to be an ordinary Buddha image. Later, however, the abbot who had found the image noticed that the plaster on the nose had flaked off, revealing the stone green underneath. The abbot initially thought that the stone was an emerald and thus the legend of the Emerald Buddha image began.
The image was later taken to Lampang where it remained until King Tilok of Lannathai moved it to Chiang Mai, his capital, where it was fittingly enshrined. In 1552, an interruption occurred in the Lannathai line of succession. King Chaichetta of Luang Prabang, who was the son of a Chiang Mai princess and a Laotian king was invited to fill the gap. However after a relatively short reign he returned to Laos to succeed his fathers throne, taking with him, the Emerald Buddha. The image remained in Laos for 226 years until 1778 when a Thai army under the command of Chao Phraya Chakri, who later became King Rama I, captured Vientiane, the Laotian capital, and the image was brought back to Thailand. When King Rama I had established the city of Bangkok, the Emerald Buddha was housed in the Royal Monastery with due pomp and ceremony. The Monastery consists of all the architectural features of a Buddhist monastery but without residential quarters as no monks reside here. It also serves as the monarch’s private chapel and, ordination hall is as such, the furnished with two partitions either side of the main on altar in order to provide private room for the a retiring Chapel monarch. This feature i found only at the Royal of Thonburi, which hall of now serves as the ordination Wat Arun, located of King on the grounds of the palace Thonburi.
In front of the high altar, stand two large Buddha images. These were cast in 1841 by royal behest of King Rama m in dedication to his grandfather-King Rama I, and his father-King Rama II. The images were named Phra Phuttha Yod Fa Chula Lok and Phra Phuttha Loetla Napalai Another image, Samphutthapanni Buddha image, also highly venerated by the Thai people, is situated in front of the high altar. It was cast by King Mongkut (Rama IV) during the time he was ordained as a monk The walls of the ordination hall are decorated with mural paintings. Above the window frames, from the south west corner on the right of the altar, are a series of paintings depicting selected events of the Lord Buddha’s life, including scenes from his birth, childhood, youth and the Great Renunciation. The murals on the east wall facing the high altar portray scenes of Temptation and Enlightenment, with a picture of the Earth Goddess underneath the Buddha’s seat. The murals on the north wall demonstrate the Lord Buddha’s preaching his Dharma and his Entering Nirvana and those behind the main altar represent the Buddhist Cosmology. Those behind the window illustrate various scenes from panels Jataka stories and Thai proverbs.
The Upper Terrace
Four main monuments are found on this terrace: a reliquary in the shape of a golden Chedi, the Mondop, a repository for Buddhist sacred scriptures inscribed on palm leaves, contained within a beautiful mother-of-pearl inlaid cabinet, a miniature Angkor Wat crafted by the order of King Mongkut (Rama TV); and the Royal Pantheon in which statues of past sovereigns of the ruling Chakri dynasty are enshrined. Scattered around the terrace are statues of elephants and mythical beings. The models of elephants are a record of the famous white elephants acquired during the reigns of the various kings of Thailand.
Subsidiary Buildings
At ground level to the north of the upper terrace are three more buildings of interest, the namely Scripture Library (Hor Phra Monthian Dharma), the west facade of which is said to be the finest in Bangkok; a beautifully gabled wiharn (Phra Wiharn Yod) which contains a number of Buddha images, and the mausoleum of the Royal Family (Hor Phra Naga), which contains the crematory ashes of a number of members of the royal family To the west of the ordination hall lie two small chapels, Hor Phra Rajphongsanusorn to the south and Hor Phra Rajkoramanusorn to the north. Hor Phra Rajkoramanusorn contains Buddha images dedicated to the past Kings of Ayuthaya, whereas Hor Phra Rajphongsanusorn contains images dedicated to the present dynasty. Hor Phra Rajkoramanusorn is also noteworthy for a number of murals accredited to the famous painter of the reign of Rama IV, Khrua in Khong. The murals are faded with age, but this makes them all the more aesthetic.
The Galleries
The grounds of the Royal Monastery are encompassed by galleries, the walls of which are painted with scenes from the Ramakien, first painted during the reign of King Rama I and since then restored several times. The first scene of the story is found next to the east gate, just opposite Phra Wiharn Yod. There is a depiction of the initial stages of the war waged by Rama of Ayodhya to rescue his wife, Sita, who had been abducted by Thotsakan (Ravana), King of Longka. Further on there are a number of other episodes from the story: the building of the causeway from the mainland, the battle of Maiyarab, the Magician who took the sleeping Rama to the underworld, the battles of Kumpakan and Indrasit, the brother and son respectively of Thotsakan; and other battles waged by Thotsakan, his other relati- ves and allies. The significant battle, in which Thotsakan loses his life, is to be found just near the gate leading to the Royal Palace.
The Phra Maha Monthian Group
This area consists of three main buildings, namely he Audience Hall of Amarindra Winitchai, the Paisa Taksin Hall, and the Chakraphat Phiman Hall. The Audience Hall was built in 1785 during the reign of King Rama I. It is used for a number of state ceremonies such as the birthday anniversary of the King. The hall’s main feature is a throne which is surmounted by a nine-tiered white canopy, flanked by two seven-tiered white umbrellas and backed by a boat-shaped altar. The Paisal Taksin Hall is where the coronation takes place. It ceremony contains the octagonal seat on which the king is seated when receiving the invitation of the representative of people to rule the kingdom, the and also the Coronation Chair on which the king receives the accoutrements of office. In the centre, between the two seats, is high altar containing
the nation’s tutelary deity figure, Phra syam Thewathirat, or Phra Syam for short. The Chakraphat Phiman building was the residence of Kings Rama I, Rama II, and Rama III. It has subsequently become customary for the sovereign to spend at least one night here after the coronation to signify the taking up of official residence. On either side of the door leading into the residence chamber are depictions of various seals of state including, among others, the Lion of the Ministry of Interior, the Elephantine Lion of the Ministry of Defense, and the Crystal Lotus of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The living apartments of the building are entered by mounting a series of steps into a hallway. To the left of the hallway (the east side) is the royal bedchamber. To the right (the west side) is a reception chamber which now houses the royal regalia and accoutrements of kingship
The Chakri Group
The Chakri Maha Prasat, built by King Chulalongkorn (King Rama V), was completed in 1882, the same year as the centenary celebration of Bangkok. Only the reception areas are now used. The Chakri group consists of the Central Throne Hall and the two wings. The Central Throne Hall now serves many purposes, most notably for the reception of foreign ambassadors on the occasion of the presentation of their credentials, and for state banquets in honour of visiting Heads of State. Its walls are decorated with four canvasses depicting diplomatic receptions of the past. On the east wall is a painting of King Mongkut’s reception of the British envoy, Sir James Bowring. On the right wall is a depiction of the reception by Queen Victoria of King Mongkut’s King Rama M ambassador at Buckingham Palace. Further along on the west wall is a depiction of Louis XIV’s reception in the Gallerie des Glaces at Versailles of the diplomatic corps sent by King Narai of Ayuthaya. The third canvas on the other side of the room depicts King Mongkut’s reception of a French envoy, and the fourth canvas features the reception at Fontainbleau by Emperor Napoleon III of another diplomatic group sent by King Mongkut. The crystal decorations in the hall are mostly gifts from foreign monarchs presented to King Chulalongkorn.
The Dusit Group
This group consists of the Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall and the Amphorn Phimok Pavilion. The Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall was built by King Rama I to replace the wooden Amarintharapisek Maha Prasat which was burned down in 1790. King Rama I intended that the present building be used for his own lying-in-state ceremony as it shares the same height and dimensions as the Sunyamarin Throne Hall in Ayuthaya, the traditional lying-in-state place for the remains of Ayuthaya kings. Thus, the principle function of the Dusit Maha Prasat Hall has been and still is a hall for the lying-in-state of kings, queens and honoured members of the royal family It is also used for the annual Coronation Day Ceremony. The hall is furnished with an exquisite mother-of-pearl inlaid throne surmounted by a nine-tiered white canopy, a symbol of a duly crowned king. The hall has four wings and is surmounted by a four-tiered roof which is topped by a seven-tiered spire.
The Borom Phiman Mansion
Built in western in 1903 by King Rama style V for the Heir Apparent, the future King Rama VI, this mansion was also used on various occasions as a royal residence by King Rama VII (1925 1935), King Rama VIII (1935 1946) and the present King Rama IX. At present the mansion serves as the Royal Guest e for visiting Heads State and quests of Their Majesties
Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles
The museum is located to the right of the visitors’ entrance to the Grand Palace in the Crown’s Ministry of Building, once Finance. A complete renovation begun in 2003 created a state- of-the-art museum, which opened to the public in Spring 2012. Modern facilities include a new lobby, galleries, storage, an education studio, library, lecture hall, and Thailand’s first dedicated textile conservation laboratory. Nonetheless, its past is still very much present, in the preservation of its original facade and many internal architectural details The establishment of the Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles embodies Her Majesty’s efforts to ensure the preservation of Thailand’s textile arts for future generations. The museum’s mission is to collect, display, preserve, and serve as a centre for all who wish to learn about textiles, past and present from East, South, and Southeast Asia with a special emphasis on Thailand’s royal court and Her Majesty Queen Sirikit. Additionally, the Museum’s goal is to create public awareness of Thai identity and culture, and an appreciation of the beauty of Thai traditional textiles through research, exhibition and interpretation. Exhibitions will change periodically.
Palace info:
Opening Hours: 08:30 AM – 3.30 PM
Admission Fee: 500 baht with free access to Vimanmek Mansion
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