Grand Palace and Emerald Buddha in Bangkok: Vanam Jwala Narasimha Rao

Grand Palace and Emerald Buddha 

in Bangkok

Vanam Jwala Narasimha Rao

We visited the Grand palace and Emerald Buddha Temple in Bangkok. The Grand Palace, known as "Phra Borom Maha Ratcha Wang" in Thai is a complex of buildings at the heart of Bangkok. The palace has been the official residence of the Kings of Siam (and later Thailand) since 1782. The king, his court and his royal government were based on the grounds of the palace until 1925. The present monarch, King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX), currently resides at Chitralada 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 grand palace in its compound has about 1000 Tamarind trees neatly trimmed. 

Construction of the palace began on 6 May 1782, at the order of King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke (Rama I), the founder of the Chakri Dynasty, when he moved the capital city from Thonburi to Bangkok. Throughout successive reigns, many new buildings and structures were added, especially during the reign of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V). After the abolition of absolute monarchy in 1932 all government agencies completely moved out of the palace. 

In shape, the palace complex is roughly rectangular and has a combined area of 218,400 square meters (2,351,000 square feet), surrounded by four walls. It is situated on the banks of the Chao Phraya River at the heart of the Rattanakosin Island, today in the Phra Nakhon District. Grand Palace is made up of numerous buildings, halls, pavilions set around open lawns, gardens and courtyards. Its unevenness and miscellaneous styles are due to its natural development, with additions and rebuilding being made by successive reigning kings over 200 years of history. It is divided into several quarters: the Temple of the Emerald Buddha; the Outer Court, with many public buildings; the Middle Court, including the Phra Maha Monthian Buildings, the Phra Maha Prasat Buildings and the Chakri Maha Prasat Buildings; the Inner Court and the Siwalai Gardens quarter. Each of these court's functions and access are clearly defined by laws and traditions. The Grand Palace is currently partially open to the public as a museum, however it remains a working palace as several royal offices are still situated inside. The palace is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Thailand.

            The palace was initially built entirely out of wood, its various structures surrounded by a simple log palisade. A palisade (sometimes called a stake wall or pole) is typically a fence or wall made from wooden stakes or tree trunks and used as a defensive structure. Typical construction consisted of small or midsized tree trunks aligned vertically, with no spacing in between. The trunks were sharpened or pointed at the top, and were driven into the ground and were sometimes reinforced with additional construction. The height of a palisade ranged from a few feet to nearly ten feet. As a defensive structure, palisades were often used in conjunction with earthworks. Palisades were an excellent option for small forts or other hastily constructed fortifications. Since they were wood, they could be quickly and easily built from materials readily available. They proved to be effective protection for short-term conflicts, and were an effective deterrent against small forces. However, due to their wooden construction, they were also vulnerable to fire and siege weapons. Over the succeeding years the king began replacing wooden structures with brickwork, rebuilding the walls, forts, gates, throne halls and royal residences. This rebuilding included the royal chapel, which would come to house the Emerald Buddha. To the north of the Grand Palace there is a large field, the Thung Phra Men (now called Sanam Luang), which is used as an open space for royal ceremonies and as a parade ground. 

The Emerald Buddha, known officially as "Phra Phuttha Maha Mani Rattana Patimakon" in Thai, is the "palladium" of the Kingdom of Thailand, a figurine of the sitting Buddha, made of green jadeite-green stone (rather than emerald-bright green), clothed in gold, and about 45 centimeters tall. It is kept in the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaew) on the grounds of the Grand Palace in Bangkok. In Greek and Roman mythology, a "palladium" or "Palladian" was an image of great antiquity on which the safety of a city was said to depend. The word "palladium" has meant anything believed to provide protection or safety-a safeguard. 

According to the legend, the Emerald Buddha was created in India in 43 BC by Nagasena in the city of Pataliputra (today's Patna). The legends state that after remaining in Pataliputra for three hundred years, it was taken to Sri Lanka to save it from a civil war. In 457, King Anuruth of Burma sent a mission to Ceylon to ask for Buddhist scriptures and the Emerald Buddha, in order to support Buddhism in his country. These requests were granted, but the ship lost its way in a storm during the return voyage and landed in Cambodia. The Emerald Buddha was taken to Ayutthaya, Kamphaeng Phet, Laos and finally Chiang Rai, where the ruler of the city hid it. Historical sources indicate that the statue surfaced in northern Thailand in the Lannathai kingdom in 1434. King Sam Fang Kaen of Lannathai wanted it in his capital, Chiang Mai, but the elephant carrying it insisted, on three separate occasions, to go to Lampang. This was taken as a divine sign and the Emerald Buddha stayed in Lampang until 1468, when it was finally moved to Chiang Mai, where it was kept at Wat Chedi Luang. The Emerald Buddha remained in Chiang Mai until 1552. In 1564, King Setthathirath moved it to his new capital at Vientiane. In 1779, the Thai General Chao Phraya Chakri put down a mutiny, captured Vientiane and returned the Emerald Buddha to Siam, taking it with him to Thonburi. After he became King Rama I of Thailand, he moved the Emerald Buddha with great ceremony to its current home in Wat Phra Kaew on 22 March 1784. It is now kept in the main building of the temple, the Ubosoth.

            The Emerald Buddha is adorned with garments made of gold. There are three different sets of gold clothing, which are changed by the King of Thailand or a relationship in a ceremony at the changing of the seasons, around March-April, July-August and November-December. The three sets of gold garments correspond to Thailand's summer season, rainy season, and cool season. The two sets of gold clothing not in use at any given time are kept on display in the nearby Pavilion of Regalia, Royal Decorations and Thai Coins on the grounds of the Grand Palace, where the public may view them. The day we visited Princes Thailand Saili came to the temple to change the clothing for the current season and her visit did not disturb the normal tourists in no way.

            The Temple of the Emerald Buddha is a royal chapel situated within the walls of the palace. Incorrectly referred to as a Buddhist temple, it is in fact a chapel; it has all the features of a temple except for living quarters for monks. Built in 1783, the temple was constructed in accordance with ancient tradition dating back to Wat Mahathat, a royal chapel within the grounds of the royal palace at Sukhothai, and Wat Phra Sri Sanpetch at Ayutthaya. The famed Emerald Buddha is kept within the grounds of the temple. The temple is surrounded on four sides by a series of walled cloisters, with seven different gates. Like those ancient royal temples of Sukhothai and Ayutthaya, the Wat Phra Kaew complex is separated from the living quarters of the kings. Within these walls are buildings and structures for diverse purposes and of differing styles, reflecting the changing architecture during the various reigns of the kings. Despite this, most of the buildings within adhere strictly to classical Thai architecture. The establishment of the Temple of the Emerald Buddha dates to the very founding of the Grand Palace and Bangkok itself.

The Outer Court or Khet Phra Racha Than Chan Na, is situated to the northwest of the palace (the northeast being occupied by the Temple of the Emerald Buddha). The Outer Court has a small museum called the Pavilion of Regalia, Royal Decorations and Coins.

The largest and most important one is the Middle Court or the Khet Phra Racha Than Chan Klang is situated in the central part of the Grand Palace, where the most important residential and state buildings are located. The court is considered the main part of the Grand Palace and is fronted by the Amornwithi Road, which cuts right across from east to west. The court is further divided into three groups of 'Throne halls' and one Siwalai Garden quarter. It has in it Mount Kailasa. The miniature model of Mount Kailasa, the mythical abode of Shiva, was built during the reign of King Rama IV. The miniature mountain was used as a setting for an important ceremony called the Royal Tonsure Ceremony. This ancient rite of passage would be performed for the royal prince and princess around the age of thirteen. The ceremony, sometimes lasting seven days of festivities, involves a purifying bath and the cutting of the traditional topknot hair of the royal child. The latter act was done by the king himself, the hair is later thrown into the Chao Phraya river as an offering.

The Inner Court occupies the southernmost part of the Grand Palace complex. This area is reserved exclusively for use by the king and his harem of queens and consorts (minor wives). These women were often called 'forbidden women' or Nang harm by the general populace. Other inhabitants of the court were the king's children and a multitude of ladies-in-waiting and servants. The king's royal consorts were drawn from the ranks of the Siamese: royalty and nobility. Usually there were also the daughters of rulers of tributary states.

If there is one must-see sight that no visit to Bangkok would be complete without, it is the dazzling, spectacular Grand Palace, undoubtedly the city's most famous landmark. The Grand Palace of Bangkok is a grand old dame indeed that continues to have visitors in awe with its beautiful architecture and intricate detail, all of which is a proud salute to the creativity and craftsmanship of Thai people. Today, the complex remains the spiritual heart of the Thai Kingdom.

Admission to the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and the Central Court of the Grand Palace is 400 Thai Baht (13.00 USD). There is a strict dress code for visiting the Grand Palace. The Temple of the Emerald Buddha is Thailand's most sacred site. Visitors are required to be properly dressed before being allowed entry to the temple. Men must wear long pants and shirts with sleeves-no tank tops. Those who wear sandals or flip-flops, wearing socks is a must. Women cannot wear see-through clothes, bare shoulders, etc. For those who come with improperly dressed, there is a booth near the entry that can provide clothes to cover up properly. Getting to the Grand Palace is quite easy by boat. One has to take the Chaophraya Express Boat to the Chang Pier (Tha Chang) and then walk through the market around the pier and out onto the plaza flanked by old shop-houses. The long white wall of the Grand Palace is across the street on the right. The entrance is the second gate in the wall.