Grand Palace
Interesting facts
- The Inner Court was reserved for the king and his consorts, whom ordinary people called the forbidden women, and at times housed nearly 3,000 residents.
- The palace site was previously home to a Chinese community, which Rama I moved outside the city walls; that area became today's Chinatown.
- Short of money and materials, Rama I first built the palace entirely of wood, surrounded by a simple log palisade.
- In 1789 lightning burned down the first throne hall, a copy of one at Ayutthaya, and Rama I reportedly predicted that his dynasty would last only 150 years.
- Reading of that prophecy, King Rama V quipped that a zero had been dropped; the 1932 revolution came three months after the dynasty's 150th anniversary.
- The Chakri Maha Prasat was first planned with European domes; the chief minister persuaded King Chulalongkorn to crown it with Thai roofs and spires instead.
- By tradition no uncrowned king may sleep in the Chakraphat Phiman Hall, but every crowned king must spend at least a few nights there.
- Before his 1910 coronation, King Rama VI had a discreetly hidden modern toilet installed near the royal bedchamber of the Chakraphat Phiman Hall.
- A miniature Mount Kailasa in the palace hosted the royal tonsure rite, when the king cut a child's topknot and offered the hair to the river.
- A small golden figure called Phra Siam Devadhiraj, created under King Mongkut to personify the kingdom, is kept in the Phaisan Thaksin Hall.
Why it is worth it
The Grand Palace in Bangkok is not one building but a walled city of them: throne halls, pavilions, gates and a royal chapel spread over about 218,000 square metres on the bank of the Chao Phraya, gilded spires and roofs of green and orange tile rising within four walls. It was founded on 6 May 1782 by King Rama I, the first of the Chakri dynasty, when he moved his capital across the river from Thonburi to Bangkok; its plan deliberately copied the royal palace of Ayutthaya, and many of its bricks were ferried downriver from the ruins of that sacked city. The kings lived here until the early twentieth century, and the palace is still used for royal ceremonies — the coronation of King Rama X in 2019 took place in the Phaisan Thaksin hall.
Through the main Visetchaisri Gate the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Wat Phra Kaew, opens on the left. Built in 1783, it is strictly a royal chapel rather than a monastery, since no monks live there, and it houses the famed and deeply venerated Emerald Buddha. Beyond lies the Middle Court with the ceremonial halls. The Chakri Maha Prasat Throne Hall, built under King Chulalongkorn in the 1870s–80s with the help of foreign architects, is the famous hybrid: a European Renaissance-style palace below, crowned by Thai tiled roofs and gilded spires.
Other halls repay a slow look. The Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall, the one open to the public in its group, has walls painted with lotus buds holding praying deities and a ceiling spangled with glass-mosaic stars. The small open pavilion of Aphorn Phimok Prasat, built by King Mongkut as a robing and palanquin platform, is considered one of the most perfectly proportioned examples of traditional Thai architecture; a replica was shown at the 1958 Brussels World's Fair. The guard changes in front of the Chakri Maha Prasat every two hours.
Getting there
The palace stands on Rattanakosin Island in the old heart of Bangkok, about 1 km from the city centre; Don Mueang International Airport (DMK) is about 22 km away. It borders the Sanam Luang field to the north, and Wat Pho lies immediately to the south. The palace remains a working royal site, with parts open to the public.
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From the encyclopaedia
The Grand Palace is a complex of buildings at the heart of Bangkok, Thailand. The palace has been the official residence of the Kings of Siam since 1782. The king, his court, and his royal government were based on the grounds of the palace until 1925. King Bhumibol Adulyadej, resided at the Chitralada Royal Villa and his successor King Vajiralongkorn resides at the Amphorn Sathan Residential Hall, both in the Dusit Palace, but the Grand Palace is still used for official events. Several royal ceremonies and state functions are held within the walls of the palace every year. The palace is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Thailand, with over eight million people visiting each year.
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