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Grand Palace, Bangkok

 
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Grand Palace, Bangkok
 
 
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The Grand Palace (Phra Borom Maha Ratcha Wang) is a complex of buildings in Bangkok
Bangkok

The city of Bangkok is the Capital , largest urban area and primary city of Thailand. Known in Thai language as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or Krung Thep for short, it was a small trading post at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River during the Ayutthaya Kingdom and came to the forefront of Thailand when it was given the status as the...
, Thailand
Thailand

The Kingdom of Thailand is an independent country that lies in the heart of Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Laos and Myanmar, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and Myanmar....
. It served as the official residence
Official residence

An official residence is the House at which heads of state, heads of government, gubernatorial or other senior figures officially reside. They may or may not be the same location where they conduct their work-related functions....
 of the Kings of Thailand from the 18th century onwards. Construction of the Palace began in 1782, during the reign of King Rama I
Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke

Posthumously; Poraminthara Mahachakri Boromanat, Phra Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke the Great , conventionally as Rama I. He was the founder and the first Monarchy of Thailand of the current-ruling Chakri dynasty of Siam in 1782, after subjugating a rebellion against King Taksin of Thonburi....
, when he moved the capital across the river from Thonburi
Thonburi

Thon Buri was capital of Thailand for a short time during the reign of King Taksin, after the previous capital Ayutthaya was sacked by the Burma....
 to Bangkok. The Palace has been constantly expanded and many additional structures were added over time. The present King of Thailand; King Rama IX, however does not currently reside there but at the Chitralada Palace
Chitralada Palace

Chitralada Palace is the Bangkok residence of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit. King Bhumibol was the first king in the Chakri dynasty to live in the Chitralda Palace....
.

King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke
Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke

Posthumously; Poraminthara Mahachakri Boromanat, Phra Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke the Great , conventionally as Rama I. He was the founder and the first Monarchy of Thailand of the current-ruling Chakri dynasty of Siam in 1782, after subjugating a rebellion against King Taksin of Thonburi....
 (Rama I) decided to move the capital of Siam from Thonburi on the west to Bangkok on the east of the Chao Phraya River
Chao Phraya River

The Chao Phraya is a major river in Thailand, with its low alluvial river plain marking the mainland of the country. It runs through Bangkok, the capital of Thailand....
 he decided to build a magnificent new palace as a place of residence as well as a centre of government.






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The Grand Palace (Phra Borom Maha Ratcha Wang) is a complex of buildings in Bangkok
Bangkok

The city of Bangkok is the Capital , largest urban area and primary city of Thailand. Known in Thai language as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or Krung Thep for short, it was a small trading post at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River during the Ayutthaya Kingdom and came to the forefront of Thailand when it was given the status as the...
, Thailand
Thailand

The Kingdom of Thailand is an independent country that lies in the heart of Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Laos and Myanmar, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and Myanmar....
. It served as the official residence
Official residence

An official residence is the House at which heads of state, heads of government, gubernatorial or other senior figures officially reside. They may or may not be the same location where they conduct their work-related functions....
 of the Kings of Thailand from the 18th century onwards. Construction of the Palace began in 1782, during the reign of King Rama I
Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke

Posthumously; Poraminthara Mahachakri Boromanat, Phra Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke the Great , conventionally as Rama I. He was the founder and the first Monarchy of Thailand of the current-ruling Chakri dynasty of Siam in 1782, after subjugating a rebellion against King Taksin of Thonburi....
, when he moved the capital across the river from Thonburi
Thonburi

Thon Buri was capital of Thailand for a short time during the reign of King Taksin, after the previous capital Ayutthaya was sacked by the Burma....
 to Bangkok. The Palace has been constantly expanded and many additional structures were added over time. The present King of Thailand; King Rama IX, however does not currently reside there but at the Chitralada Palace
Chitralada Palace

Chitralada Palace is the Bangkok residence of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit. King Bhumibol was the first king in the Chakri dynasty to live in the Chitralda Palace....
.

History

Grand Palace in Bangkok Chakri Mahaprasad Hall
When King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke
Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke

Posthumously; Poraminthara Mahachakri Boromanat, Phra Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke the Great , conventionally as Rama I. He was the founder and the first Monarchy of Thailand of the current-ruling Chakri dynasty of Siam in 1782, after subjugating a rebellion against King Taksin of Thonburi....
 (Rama I) decided to move the capital of Siam from Thonburi on the west to Bangkok on the east of the Chao Phraya River
Chao Phraya River

The Chao Phraya is a major river in Thailand, with its low alluvial river plain marking the mainland of the country. It runs through Bangkok, the capital of Thailand....
 he decided to build a magnificent new palace as a place of residence as well as a centre of government. The area choosen was however occupied by Chinese merchants, who he promptly asked to relocate (to the present day Yaowarat area).

The tower of gold began construction on 6 May 1782. At first the palace consisted of several wooden buildings surrounded on four sides with a high defensive wall
Defensive wall

A defensive wall is a fortification used to defend a city or settlement from potential aggressors. In ancient to modern times, they were used to enclose settlements....
 of 1,900 metres in length, which encloses an area of 218,400 square metres. Soon the King ordered the building of the Temple of the Emerald Buddha; as the Monarch’s personal place of worship and royal temple. Once the palace was complete the King decided to under go a coronation
Coronation

A coronation is a ceremony marking the investiture of a monarch with regal power, specifically involving the placement of a coronation crown upon his or her head, and the presentation of other items of regalia....
 ceremony to celebrate in 1785.

The plan of the Grand Palace followed closely that of the old palace in Ayutthaya. The Palace is rectangular shaped, with the western side next to a river and the royal temple situated to the east side, with all structures facing north. The palace itself is divided into three quarters: the outer quarters, the middle quarters and the inner quarters.

The palace became the centre of the Rattanakosin government and royal court for most of the early Chakri Dynasty
Chakri Dynasty

The Chakri Dynasty }} is the current Dynasty of the Kingdom of Thailand, the Head of the house is the King of Thailand. The Dynasty has ruled Thailand since the founding of the Ratthanakosin era and the city of Bangkok in 1782 following the end of King Taksin of Thonburi's reign, when the capital of Siam shifted to Bangkok....
 until the reign of King Chulalongkorn
Chulalongkorn

Phrabat Somdet Phra Poramintramaha Chulalongkorn, Phra Chulachomklao Chaoyuhua was the fifth monarch of the Chakri dynasty. He was known to the Siamese of his time as Phra Buddhachao Luang ....
 (Rama V) who preferred to stay at the Dusit Palace, but still used the Grand Palace as an office and primary place of residence. This practice was followed by his sons (Rama VI and Rama VII) who preferred their own palaces. King Ananda Mahidol
Ananda Mahidol

Ananda Mahidol or Rama VIII was the eighth king of the Chakri dynasty of Thailand....
 (Rama VIII) moved into the palace full time after his return from abroad in 1945. However after his mysterious death a year later in one of the palaces inside the complex, his brother King Bhumibol Adulyadej
Bhumibol Adulyadej

Bhumibol Adulyadej , is the current Monarchy of Thailand. Publicly acclaimed "the Great" , he is also known as Rama . Having reigned since 9 June 1946, he is the world's List of longest reigning current monarchs current head of state and the List of longest reigning monarchs of all time monarch in History of Thailand....
 (Rama IX) who succeeded him decided to move permanently to the Chitralada Palace
Chitralada Palace

Chitralada Palace is the Bangkok residence of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit. King Bhumibol was the first king in the Chakri dynasty to live in the Chitralda Palace....
.

The Palace is however still very much in use; as many royal rituals are performed here by the King every year. Other royal ceremonies celebrated here are coronations; royal funerals, marriages and state banquets. The Palace grounds also contain the offices and buildings of the Bureau of the Royal Household, the Office of the Private Secretary to the King and Royal Institute of Thailand.

Prominent parts of the Grand Palace

  • Wat Phra Kaew
    Wat Phra Kaew

    The Wat Phra Kaew is regarded as the most sacred Buddhism temple in Thailand. It is located in the historic center of Bangkok , within the grounds of the Grand Palace....
    , the temple containing the Emerald Buddha
    Emerald Buddha

    The Emerald Buddha is the Palladium of the Kingdom of Thailand, a figurine of the sitting Gautama Buddha, made of green jade , clothed in gold, and about 45 cm tall....
  • Dusit Phra
  • Chakri Mahaprasad Hall, a building in a style influenced by the Italian Renaissance


Media



Further reading

  • Naengnoi Suksri, The Grand Palace, Bangkok. River Books, Bangkok 1999, ISBN 0-500-97479-9
  • K.I. Matics: A History of Wat Phra Chetupon and its Buddha Images. The Siam Society, Bangkok 1979 (w/o ISBN)


External links

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