Thursday, November 09, 2006

Thailand Part 4 - Bangkok The Grand Palace



I have not spent a great deal of time in Bangkok so I am only going to post about the three main places which I would recommend for a visit; The Grand Palace, The reclining Buddha at Wat Pho and the Floating Market.

This post gives a bit of information about The Grand Palace


This palace has an area of 218,400 sq. metres and is surrounded by walls built in 1783. The length of the four walls totals 1900 metres. Within these walls are situated government offices and the Chapel Royal of the Emerald Buddha besides the royal residences.

When Siam restored law and order after the fall of Ayutthaya the monarch lived in Thonburi on the other side of the river. Rama I, immediately on ascending the throne, moved the centre of administration to this side of the Chao Phraya; and, after erecting public monuments such as fortifications and monasteries, built a palace to serve not only as his residence but also his offices - the various ministries, only one of which remains in the palace walls.

This palace came to be known as the Grand Palace, in which the earliest edifices contemporary with the foundation of Bangkok were the two groups of residences named the Dusit-Mahaprasard and the Mahamontien

If you want to see some more pictures click here or here.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

It looks beautiful - and so clean.