The Grand Palace of the Kings

 

The Grand Palace complex was established in 1782 and consisted of the Royal Residence of the King but also the Temple of the Emerald Buddha.  It is built in an area that covers 218 000 square meters and is surrounded by 4 walls.  The Grand Palace is heavily patrolled with active members of the Thai military as well as Grand Palace police.  There is a strict dress code to enter including having to wear long pants or a long skirt covering the knees, a shirt that covers the shoulders and shoes that have straps or have the toes covered.  As well, there are two lines as you enter; one for Thai’s which is free and one for Foreigners in which you pay.

 

King Rama I decided when he came to power that the current capital was dirty and unsuitable and decided to move the capital to the other side of the Chao Phraya River.  His intention was that the new palace would serve as his residence and the administrative offices of his government.

 

 

As you first enter the palace, you will see that the gates are very large.  This was to accommodate the elephant to allow it entry to the grounds.  As you enter the main grounds, you are greeted by large demon soldiers who are placed there to scare the evil spirits and keep them from entering.  The next thing you will notice is all of the gold, the jewels, the shiny buildings.  This was definitely built for a King and Buddha.

 

The Emerald Buddha was a little bit of a disappointment for me.  I was expecting this massive amount of Jade but it is actually a small Buddha that is placed on a high tower.  I guess when you take a picture to show for tourism, you want it to be as big as possible.  You were not allowed to take pictures within the temple where the Buddha was (and you had to remove your shoes), but it was amazing. The pictures I took were from the doorway.

In 1903, King Rama V decided to build a new residence that would be the official residence for the future King Rama VI and had it designed in the similarity of Buckingham Palace in England.  He

used the same designer to create this residence that included some aspects of the Thai Culture at the time.  Today, you can see further British influence in the positioning and changing of the official guards.

 

 

Other Views of the Grand Palace

 

 

This was a model of a Massive Royal Capital King Rama IV wanted built.

It was a copy of one in China or Cambodia.

It was too big to reproduced in real so he had a model ordered to be built.

 

 

Buckingham Palace with Elephant Guards