I just got back from a few days in Bangkok! I decided a week ago to join the end of Joe's business trip and watch Austin play in a rugby tournament. I will talk more about Bangkok in general and the rugby tournament, but this blog post is all about the Grand Palace in Bangkok. Surprisingly, there are not that many must-sees in Bangkok, but the Grand Palace is definitely not to be missed!
The Grand Palace complex (according the the brochure given at the gate) 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.
There are several of these entryways, with a pair of demons guarding the door. According to my guide. My guide, Pearl, was an older woman, and I didn't quite understand or remember all the information she gave me. :) But I will do my best to recall.
This part of the complex is the Upper Terrace. Here is a reliquary (again, according to the brochure) in the shape of a golden chedi....I looked up the definition of reliquary, and as I recalled from Pearl, it was a resting place of relics from Buddha.
Here is a close-up of the gorgeous structure. Small gold-leaf tiles.
It was amazing to see these old structures made of porcelain. This is one of the oldest buildings in the complex.
I think this was the Royal Pantheon in which 'statues of the past sovereigns of the ruling Chakri dynasty are enshrined'. It houses statues.
Seriously, my pictures do not begin to do it justice! I have traveled quite a bit in the last few years. I have not seen any building or structure so ornately decorated on the exterior!! Every square inch was amazing.
There were hand-painted porcelain, mosaic tiles, and mirrored tiles. I took a river cruise the night before. You could actually see the temples shimmering in the faint light.
But for some reason, this was my favorite structure! I was fairly obsessed with it and took tons of pictures. I got tired of waiting for this girl to move out of the way, but I was lucky there are not more people in this picture. There were large crowds at the palace.
Pearl let me explore on my own at this point, so I don't have any more details.
Okay, no more pictures of these guys. :)
This picture was taken just outside the the Royal Monastery of the Emerald Buddha. This monastery also serves as the king's private chapel. The Emerald Buddha, actually made out of jade, is one of the most important Buddhas in Thailand. It has traveled to many important cities of Thailand over the years. The Buddha wears three different 'outfits', according to the season. These garments are made of gold and precious stones and can only be handled by the king.
I actually found this image on the internet. You are not allowed to take photos inside the monastery. As you can see here, the Emerald Buddha is wearing his winter attire. Although let me tell you, if this is winter, I would hate to be in Bangkok in the summer. It was hot.
This guy reminded me of the guards at Buckingham Palace.
These statues were actually used as ballasts in Chinese ships. They weighed the ship down on its voyage to Thailand. Then the statues were gifted to Thailand.
I thought this was so cool. It is an elephant-mounting station. The elephant would stand on the platform. Then the king would come out of the building, hold on to a pole, and mount the elephant!
This section had government buildings. The tops were of Thai architecture, but the bottoms were western. The tree in front is a Japanese bonsai tree and is over 100 years old. Not the miniature bonsai trees I am used to seeing!
I just happened to catch the changing of the guards. No horses or bands like in London, but cool just the same.
I am trying to recall if this was the coronation building for the one used for funerals! Slight difference. But beautiful all the same. The king and queen of Thailand do not live at this complex any more. There is a residence here, but used to house foreign dignitaries. Bill and Hillary Clinton stayed here when they visited in 1996.
More on Bangkok in my next post!
No comments:
Post a Comment