In the 1780's, King Futtayotfa Chulalok, the first Rama, began the reign of Thailand's famous Chakri dynasty, which continues to this day. Ascending the throne, he felt that a new palace was needed to maintain the royal solemnity of the dynasty. In October 1782, under his direction, the construction of the Grand Palace began in Bangkok, Thailand. By 1800, King Rama I had completed the construction of Rama and settled there. But even then, at different times, different kings have done innumerable renovations to this palace, added new infrastructure, demolished some old ones. All in all, today's Grand Palace has taken more than a hundred years to come to this form.
The famous Chinatown of Thailand is located near the Chao Phraya River. The contribution of the Grand Palace is behind the creation of this city. When King Rama I planned to build the Grand Palace, a community of Chinese people lived where the palace was located. But this place by the river seemed to be the best place for a palace. And so he forcibly evicted the Chinese community. The place where the whole community started living anew near the city is today's Chinatown.
However, the tourism system in Thailand is quite advanced. And at the center of this tourism system is the Grand Palace. Not only is it a large palace of one or two buildings, but multiple royal installations have made it unique for use in different purposes. Those interested in traveling to Thailand should know about this luxurious palace.
Temple of the Emerald Buddha
‘Wat Fra Keo’ or ‘Temple of the Emerald Buddha’, in a word, is the biggest attraction of the Grand Palace in Thailand. At its entrance, two gigantic statues are seen as frightening. The spiritual nature of this temple is completely different from the traditional architecture of the temple. Because, these idols are not from Thailand. In the Middle Ages, Chinese merchants came to trade and gave these two idols as gifts to the king. Leaving these two gatekeepers behind and stepping forward, you will see some dazzling murals and various sayings of King Pancham Rama carved in white marble. Because this part was built during his time.
Inside the temple is the most interesting part of it, namely the Buddha statue. The small, dazzling statue, less than a meter high, sits on a one-meter-high altar. And above the statue there is a nine-layered canopy of colorful colors. Exact information about who made this statue, where it was made, is not known. According to legend, the idol was made at Pataliputra in ancient India. Some sources claim that the iconic statue was made in Burma (now Myanmar). But wherever this statue was born, the story of coming to Thailand is quite interesting.
Something covered in lime and surki plaster was going from Ceylon (present day Sri Lanka) to Cambodia via Thailand. The object, along with several other archeological finds, reached southern Thailand in 1434. One day the object accidentally broke there. As soon as the top cover falls off, a shining Buddha peeks out from inside! Of course, the king did not allow it to go out of Thailand. However, the Buddha statue arrived in Bangkok in 1778. Since then the statue has been a major attraction in the entire city of Bangkok. Three times a year the king of Thailand changes his clothes with his own hands.
Fra mandapa
The Fra Mandapa is the installation behind the Buddha Temple. Mosaic enhances the beauty of any house or installation. But the beauty of the Fra Mandapa effortlessly surpasses the beauty of all other mosaics. Because it is mosaic with small pieces of glass! Also standing in front of its entrance are two giant guard statues, which are heavily decorated. Preserved here is the sacred book Tripitaka of Buddhism. There are many old copies of Tripitaka on the nice glass shelf. And the floor of the whole house is made of a few inches thick silver!
Fra Viharn yacht
Ram Khamhayeng was the king of Thailand in the thirteenth century. He used a notched stone as a throne. The place where the stone is stored is called Fra Viharn Yacht. This stone is the oldest and most valuable of all the artefacts and artefacts preserved in the Grand Palace. King Rama IV, also known as King Mongkat, spent several years as a monk in his early life. He was the one who invented this throne.
Palace Fra Devidorn
The palace is often called the Pantheon. Used as a temple to the gods, it is now the residence of the idols of the kings of the Chakri dynasty. Evidence-sized statues of the first eight kings of the Chakri dynasty are preserved in this temple. Work is also underway to build a statue of the ninth-job king Bhumibol, who died in 2016. However, the temple is open to the public only once a year. The Chakri dynasty ascended to power on April 6, also known as 'Job Day'.
Angkor Wat
Where is the location of the world's largest religious monument and installation, do you know? Cambodia's Angkor Wat is one of the best places for religious archeology and architecture. And a piece of this Angkor Wat has been cut and placed in the Grand Palace of Thailand. Its construction began during the reign of King Rama IV. At that time Cambodia was a feudal province of Thailand. Seeing that magnificent religious site in Cambodia, the king thought he would do the same in his own palace. However, in terms of architecture and tradition, the Angkor Wat of the Grand Palace is not even close to the actual Angkor Wat.
Burmaviman Hall
Generosity, ownership, abandonment, forgiveness, humility, awareness, an angry mind, being free from doubt, patience and the ability to make the right decisions; When you enter the Burma Biman Hall, the first thing you will notice is these ten qualities carved in stone, which are known as 'Rajdharma'. The building is located next to the garden of the King's annual 'Garden Party'. Basically, all the work of looking after the Grand Palace is done from here. When the head of state of any country goes on a state visit to Thailand to meet with the king, their meeting is held at the Burma Biman Hall.
The Great Job Palace
The Great Job Palace is the official residence of the King of Thailand. Although King Bhumibol lived in this palace only nominally. He lives in his own ‘Chitralada Residence’. The present king, Maha Vijralankorn, the son of Bhumibal, also lives here. However, the attraction of the job palace has not diminished so much. It was originally designed by a British architect based on the Italian Renaissance architecture. However, at the behest of King Rama V, the traditional ‘Siamese’ or Thai style of construction was blended. In particular, the roof is made entirely of Thai houses, with a mandapa. Job Palace will be ahead in modernity more than any other installation of the Grand Palace, will also be ahead for its magnificent architectural style. And the interior decoration is also very luxurious.
Amarindra Vinichai
This building once housed the king's throne. At present any royal order and proclamation is read here. Apart from this, the use of this building is festive. Any royal festivities, especially commemorations of previous kings and meals with heads of state and foreign governments are completed here.
Dusit Maha Prasad
This building was used by the king from the first Rama to the 4th Rama to welcome and entertain the guests. The large hall of the Apayan is now open to the public, where the throne of King Rama I can be seen. Moreover, there are murals of other kings of the Chakri dynasty.
Emporn Fimk Palace
It is probably the least used place of the Grand Palace. Here once the kings used to dress and decorate themselves before going in front of the visitors.
Where to stay
Bangkok is the first choice of visitors when traveling in Thailand. And if you want to visit Bangkok, you have to spend more than one night there. In that case, you just have to go out for a whole day to enjoy the beauty of the Grand Palace. So in Bangkok, especially in the vicinity of the Grand Palace, a number of high-end hotels have sprung up for visitors. If there is no budget problem, the name of 'The Siam' comes first in the five star hotel. And if you want to stay low cost, ‘Riva Surya’ and ‘Villa Fra’ are not bad.
Whichever way you go, whatever you wear
The Widgetschari Gate or The Gate of Great Victory is the main entrance to the Grand Palace. Passports / visas of foreign tourists are checked at the entrance of this gate. From here you have to buy tickets and walk to the inside of the palace. The minimum ticket price is around Tk 1,250 in Bangladeshi rupees. Government offices and administrative buildings will be seen first. Once you cross these, you will notice the royal palaces of the Grand Palace. Another very important thing is clothing. Inside the Grand Palace, one should wear as modest clothing as possible (although the meaning of the word modest is relative, the word is written in the royal dress code). Especially in case of women, it should be properly covered from shoulder to knee. Men's shirt-pants are not a problem, but shorts are forbidden. If a visitor’s clothing seems inadequate to the guards, they are allowed to wear a loose gown called ‘sarang’, which will cover the whole body!
The magnificent Grand Palace is spread over a vast area of 218,000 square meters. This stylish palace is protected by a 1.9 km long wall surrounding it. And there are 17 forts scattered in different corners of the whole compound, which are engaged in providing security to the Grand Palace. Witnessing more than 200 years of history, tradition and royal events, this palace is therefore the safest place in the whole of Thailand. When tourists from any country visit Thailand, the Grand Palace is also the center of their attraction.
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The dazzling, spectacular Grand Palace is undoubtedly the most famous landmark in Bangkok. It's one must-see sight that no visit to the city would be complete without. It was built in 1782 and for 150 years was the home of the Thai King, the Royal court and the administrative seat of government.