During our 55 years of International travel, Art Museums in Europe and Asia always attracted my wife and I. This week, we visit a museum fit for a king because it was originally built for a king. Be ready to be bowled over by its golden splendor. The King’s Grand Palace in Bangkok is one of the world’s richest royal complexes. Since the 18th century the Palace has been the Thai royal residence; except that today’s 83 year old King Bhumibol Adulyadej doesn’t live there anymore.
The King’s Grand Palace
Location: Na Phra Lan Road, Old City (Rattanakosin)
Open: Daily 08:30 - 15:30
Tickets: Cost 200 baht. One ticket includes entry to Vimanmek Palace and Abhisek Dusit Throne Hall.
The palace which has served as the official King’s residence from the 18th
century on, was constructed in l782. Today, it’s a huge 218,400 square
meters surrounded by a 4 sided wall. Within the complex are government
offices, the Royal Chapel of the Emerald Buddha and the royal
residences. Today they stand unoccupied because the present King of
Thailand prefers to reside at the Chitralada Palace, moving there after
his brother, King Ananda Mahidol experienced a mysterious death in
Palace.. The current king, Bhumibol Adulyaden decided the Chitralada
Palace might be a safer place for him.
The
complex is laid out in similar style to the palaces of Ayutthaya, the
glorious former capital of Siam. Its Outer Court, near the entrance,
houses the government departments in which the King is directly
involved, primarily civil administration, the army and the treasury. In
one corner of the Outer Court is the venerated Temple of the Emerald
Buddha. The King’s residence is in the Central Court along with halls
used for conducting state business. Only two throne halls are open to
the public, but they are sufficient examples of the exquisite details of
the throne hall’s facades.
It was in the Palace’s Inner Court where the King's royal family
lived along with a population of service area women and boys under the
age of puberty. Unoccupied today, it is closed to the public.
Despite the proximity of the Grand Palace and the Wat Phra Kaew
temple of the Emerald Buddha, there's a distinct contrast in style
between them. The Emerald Buddha house is a very Thai Temple of and the
Grand Palace is of a much more European inspired design except for a
common roof structure.
Nowadays the Throne Hall’s impressive interior is used primarily for
ceremonial events such as coronations which employs the use of a newer
Western Style throne. However, it is the ancient throne which is shown
to visitors with its mother-of pearl construction and position under a
nine-tiered white canopy.
Visitors
to the Grand Palace Hall (Chakri Maha Prasat) and Dusit Hall, see a
lovely architectural building and the museum shows examples of the Grand
Palace restoration with scale models and Buddha images.
In a pamphlet I bought there, a Guide To The Grand Palace, lists 33
buildings, with 4 indicated in red for special attention, The Temple of
Emerald Buddha, Amarindra Vinichai Hall, Dusit Hall and the Wat Phra Keo
Museum.
The building which draws the largest crowds is the golden edifice
they call the Temple Of Emerald Buddha. The Emerald Buddha is actually
one small piece of Jade venerated by the locals. Thai’s come to see the
stone on a weekly basis to pay respect to the memory of Buddha and his
teachings. The stone sits high on an altar of Gold representing a
chariot of the Gods.
Discovered
in 1464, the stone has traveled as the Thai capitol has moved to
various cities. When the Palace was built, The Emerald Buddha was
installed in its present residence with much pomp. The building has 3
important murals of the Buddha. Some door panels contain exquisite
inlaid mother-of-pearl renderings depicting episodes from the Ramakien,
the Thai version of an Indian Hindu epic written over 2000 years ago.
The current king is the 9th
king of the Chakri Dynasty. He was crowned May 5, 1950. Festivities
celebrating that coronation last 3 days. On day 1 & 2, at Buddhist
ceremonies held at the Amarindra Vinichai Hall, high monks chant
scriptures and delivers sermons. Day 3, the official Coronation Day, is
celebrated with a feast attended by Buddhist monks and the king in full
official regalia.
We missed it, but a friend said that The Royal Thai
Army and Navy delivered a 21 gun salute. The day’s final activity is
when government officials and civilians who did great service for the
state receive decorations.
The Palace’s Upper Terrace was my
favorite area, easily one of the most beautiful in the Palace. With it’s
golden statuary gleaming, the Phra Mondop building is a repository
holding Buddhist scriptures.
Beautiful
to see, but my favorite spot is called the Golden Cheji. There a
handsome version of Angkor Wat has recreated in miniature.
Across
from the Terrace is the library often called the most beautiful
building in Thailand, with its West Side gorgeously decorated with tiles
and porcelain; its doors are judiciously guarded by a pair of huge
Golden Lion gods.
Though
it was open for tourists, the Grand Palace is still very much in use
when the King attends rituals such as royal funerals, marriages and
banquets as well as ceremonial state dinners for foreign dignitaries.
We were out of tourists, but even so, it took us a good half day to
see all we wanted to see. Of course, shooting two rolls of 36 shot,
200mm exterior film and two rolls of 24 shot 800 mm did ate up the time
to shoot them right. Fortunately, the sky was overcast so mother nature
was our exterior shot gaffer and the interiors were extremely well lit,
another bonus. Most of this hub is from that days photos.
I’m sad to say that next week is the end of this Art Museums We Loved
In Europe and Asia series. In past weeks, we’ve looked in on 28
museums, though that’s such a small number of the many candidates we
could do. Though a point made often during the series was that in big
and small towns in whatever country you visit, there is somewhere a
place that shows a collection of local artists and artistic masters from
years back. Many even have rare finds that make them special. The
series is closing in Paris, but in the cities of France alone, there are
hundreds of very special museums. For example, in Aix there are nine
including the magnificent Granet and the Cezanne.
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