GRAND PALACE

Description

Essentials about the Grand Palace in brief

The Grand Palace is one of the most beautiful palace complexes in all of Asia and the main sight of Bangkok. The 2.6 square kilometer complex includes more than 100 different buildings and was the official residence of the kings of Siam (now Thailand) in Bangkok from the late 18th century to the mid-20th century. After the death of King Ananda Mahidol (Rama VIII) in 1946, King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) decided to move the residence to Chitralada Palace. Today, the Grand Palace is open to the public.

The history of the Grand Palace

Historically, the Great Palace dates back to King Phra Phutthayotfa Chulalok (Rama I), who, 15 years after the destruction of the old capital Ayutthaya by the Burmese, wanted to resurrect the glory of the Siamese Empire. For this purpose, in 1782, he had the foundation stone laid for a new palace on the eastern bank of the Mae Nam Chao Phraya (Chao Phraya River). The entire layout of the royal palace follows surprisingly closely the construction plan of the destroyed palace of Ayutthaya.

The entire area was initially surrounded by a heavily fortified wooden palisade. Later, it was replaced by a 1.9 kilometer long, high brick wall, which was supposed to shield the palace from the outside. The urgently needed building materials, such as bricks, were brought by ship from the destroyed palace in Ayutthaya. The first construction phase was completed in 1785, so that the palace could be officially inaugurated in a grand ceremony.

The present buildings of the Grand Palace are the result of a building activity that started in 1782. Since then, buildings have been newly constructed, expanded, remodeled, renovated or demolished to make way for new facilities. Most impressive are the countless precious stones, gold-leaf figures and toy mosaics that make the Grand Palace shine in a true blaze of color.

The parts of the Grand Palace

General information

The present palace consists of four parts: The Outer Court, the Central Court, the Inner Court and Wat Phra Kaeo. Each of the parts was functionally tailored to those who lived or worked there. The Inner Court in the northern part of the palace, where only women were allowed, is surrounded by a high wall. Female guards stood at the entrances to this area. The Outer Court is located in the southern part, here were located the ministries, the Treasury and the royal guards.

The Central Court

The Central Court is the most impressive part of the palace. This also consists of four complexes: The so-called First Group of Buildings, the complex around the Chakri Maha Prasat, the group around Dusit Palace and the group around Borom Phiman Hall.

The First Group of Buildings is located in the center of the old royal palace and was already completed and used for the coronation ceremony of Phra Phutthayotfa (Rama I). To this day, it provides the setting for the official coronation ceremonies of the Thai royal dynasty. The Chakri Maha Prasat Group was built by King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) and originally consisted of eleven buildings, of which only three remain today: The Throne Hall and two wing buildings. The Throne Hall was used for various occasions, but mainly for receiving foreign ambassadors on the occasion and for state banquets in honor of foreign heads of state. The Dusit Group consists of the Dusit Maha Prasat Coronation Hall, the Phra Thinang Phiman Rataya and the Aphonphimok Pavilion. And the Borom Phiman complex is composed of Phra Thinang Siwalai Maha Prasat, Phra Thinang Sitalaphirom, Phra Phuttha Rattanasathan, Phra Thinang Boromphiman and Phra Thinang Sutthaisawan.

Wat Phra Kaeo

In the northeastern part of the palace complex lies the Wat Phra Kaeo Temple, one of the most important structures within the Grand Palace. Inside the sacred temple is the famous statue of the so-called Emerald Buddha. The Emerald Buddha is enthroned on an altar decorated with gold leaf and is considered one of the most important religious treasures of Thailand. The almost 70 centimeters tall Buddha consists, however, unlike its name suggests not of real emeralds, but of jade.

Somewhat hidden in the southern part of the Central Courtyard is the Wat-Phra-Kaeo Museum. It is housed in a western style building built by King Chulalongkorn as the “Royal Mint”. Several Buddha statues donated to the temple by kings and private individuals are on display here. On the upper floor, in addition to a model of Wat Phra Kaeo at the time of King Phra Phutthayotfa Chulalok (Rama I), there is also the so-called Manangasila Throne.

Visiting the Grand Palace

Last but not least, an important practical note about the dress code. Tourists who try to enter the Grand Palace wearing shorts, sleeveless tops and open-toed shoes will be consistently denied entry. Those who don’t feel like going back to the hotel or hostel can still rent the appropriate clothes and shoes on site for a small fee.