The Grand Palace

Welcome to The Grand Palace
Palace of Thailand
The Grand Palace has an area of 218,400 sq. metres and is surrounded by walls built in 1782. The length of the four walls is 1,900 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 west side of the river. Rama I, 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 Maha Prasat and the Phra Maha Monthian.

Vimanmek Palace

Introduction to Vimanmek Palace
Palace of Thailand
Upon his return from Europe in1897, King Rama V (1868-1910) used his personal money to purchase orchards and paddy fields between Padung Krungkasem Canal and Samsen Canal for the construction of a royal garden which he named “the Dusit Garden”.

The first permanent residence in Dusit Garden was Vimanmek Mansion, built in 1900 by the royal command of King Rama V. The mansion was in fact his former Summer Palace, the Munthaturaltanaroj Residence of the Chuthathujrachathan at Koh Sri Chang, Chonburi, that was dismantled and rebuilt under the supervision of HRH Prince Narissaranuwaddhiwongse. The celebration for the completion of Vimanmek Mansion was held on March 27, 1901. King Rama V moved from the Grand Palace to reside in Vimanmek Mansion for 5 years until the completion of the Amporn Satarn Mansion in 1906 where he lived until his untimely death in 1910. As a result, Vimanmek Mansion become deserted and the royal family moved back to the Grand Palace.

In 1925, near the end of his reign, King Rama VI gave permission to for H.R.H. Indharasaksaji, his wife, to take up residence in a section of Vimanmek Mansion. After his death, she moved to the Residence in Suan Hong compound situated north of Vimanmek Mansion. Since then, the Vimanmek Mansion has not been used as a royal residence and has been used as a place of storage by the Bureau of the Royal Household for the past 50 years.

King Rama VII ordered a few renovations to the Mansion. For example, he ordered the installation of electrical wiring and repairs to the main pier at the man-made lake in the garden.

In 1982, on the auspicious occasion of the Royal Bicentennial Celebrations of Bangkok, Her Majesty the Queen asked for His Majesty’s permission to renovate the Mansion to be used as a museum to honour King Rama V by displaying his photographs, art and artefacts to commemorate royal visits to Europe as well as to exhibit Thai handicrafts to serve as a showcase of the national heritage for future generations.

Vimanmek Mansion

Vimanmek Mansion is the largest residence in Dusit Garden. Its elaborate architectural style reflects a western influence. The building has two right-angled wings. Each wing is 60 metres long and 20 metres high. It is a three-storey building except for the part where the King resided, which is octagonal and has four-storeys. The ground floor is brick and cement while the upper floors are built of golden teakwood planks. There are altogether 31 exhibition rooms, some of which maintain the atmosphere of the past, especially the bedrooms, the Audience Chamber and the bathrooms. Some rooms house exhibitions of art works, for example, there is a silverware display room, a ceramic display room, a glassware display room and an ivory display room.

Besides Vimanmek Mansion and the Amporn Satarn Mansion in the compound of Dusit Garden or Dusit Palace (as it was later renamed by King Rama V), King Rama V allocated plots of land for the construction of residences for his Queens, consorts, sisters, daughters, and his other wives. He also named gardens, canals, gates and roads after the names of ancient Chinese porcelain commonly called “Khrueng Kim Tung”, which were very popular at the time. For example, the residence that belonged to Her Majesty Queen Srisawarindhira was named Suan Hong Residence (Swan Garden Residence). Now these residences, which are no longer used by the Royal Family and located north of Vimanmek Mansion, have been turned into museum buildings and a hall for royal coaches to be shown to the general public.

Bang Pa-In Palace

Welcome to Bang Pa-In Palace
Palace of Thailand
The Royal Palace at Bang Pa-In has a history dating back to the 17 th century. According to a chronicle of Ayutthaya, King Prasat Thong (1629-1656) had a palace constructed on Bang Pa-In Island in the Chao Phraya River. A contemporary Dutch merchant, Jeremias van Vliet, reported that King Prasat Thong was an illegitimate son of King Ekathotsarot (1605-1610/11), who in his youth was shipwrecked on that island and had son by a woman who befriended him. The boy grew up to become the Chief Minister. After having usurped the throne, he became known as King Prasat Thong. The King founded a monastery, Wat Chumphon Nikayaram, on the land belonging to his mother on Bang Pa-In Island, and then had a pond dug and a palace built to the south of that monastery. The chronicle records the name of only one building, the Aisawan Thiphaya-art Royal Residence, which was constructed in 1632, the year of the birth of his son, the future King Narai (1656-1688). It is not known whether or not the palace was in use till the fall of Ayutthaya in 1767. However by 1807, when the Kingdom's best known poet, Sunthon Phu, sailed past Bang Pa-In, only a memory of the palace remained, for the site was neglected and overgrown.

The palace was revived by King Rama IV of the Chakri Dynasty, better known in the West as King Mongkut (1851-1868), who had a temporary residence constructed on the outer island that became the site of the Neo-Gothic style monastery, Wat Niwet Thamprawat, which was built by his son and heir, King Chulalongkorn (Rama V).

The present-day royal palace dates from the reign of King Chulalongkorn (1868-1910), when most of the buildings standing today were constructed between 1872-1889.

Today the palace is used occasionally by Their Majesties King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) and Queen Sirikit as a residence and for holding receptions and banquets.

Bhubing Palace

Introduction to Bhubing Palace
Palace of Thailand
The Bhubing Palace is located on Doi Buak Ha, Muang District, Chiang Mai Province. It is the royal winter residence in Chiang Mai where the Royal family stays during seasonal visits to the people in the northern part of Thailand.

The palace is also the royal guesthouse for prominent state visitors from abroad. In the past Their Majesties welcomed or granted royal audience to State visitors only in the capital of Bangkok. Bhubing Palace was built in 1961. The construction started initially with only the royal resident building and the guesthouse. The other buildings were additionally built on later dates.

Bhubing Rajanives

Phra Tamnak Bhubing Rajanives was built in northern Thai architectural style called
“Ruen Mu” (Group of Houses). The building sits on stilts. The upper floor is the royal residential area while the ground floor houses the royal entourage.
The building master plan was design by Prince Samaichalerm Kridagara while Mom Rachawongse Mitrarun Kasemsri designed the building.

The construction of the Palace was undertaken by the Crown Property Bureau, under the supervision of Prince Samaichalerm Kridagara, assisted by Mom Mom Rachawongse Mitrarun Kasemsri and Mr. Pradit Yuwapukka. General Luang Kampanath Saenyakorn, the Privy Councilor was assigned to lay foundation stone on August 24, 1961 at 10.49 am. The Construction took 5 months to complete. The first royal visitors to stay at the palace were King Federick the Ninth and Queen Ingrid of Denmark on their royal visit to Thailand in January 1962

Sanam Chandra Palace

Introduction to Sanam Chandra Palace
Palace of Thailand
Sanam Chandra Palace is located in Nakorn Pathom, a province 56 km south of Bangkok . The palace is about a kilometer away from the majestic pagoda, Phra Pathom Chedi. The location was formerly called “ Noen Prasart “, and believed to be the site of an ancient palace. Close to Noen Prasart, before a Brahman shrine, was located a natural pool called “ Sa Nam Chand “ (presently Sa Bua).

Before ascending the throne, the then Crown Prince Vajiravudh ( later H. M. King Rama VI 1910 - 1925 ) came to this city to pay homage to the big pagoda. He wished to build a palace here as a retreat and a residence during his pilgrimage trip to the pagoda. He preferred this area for he viewed it as a strategic location. In 1907, he bought about 335 acres of land around Noen Prasart from local people. He then had Luang Phitak Manop ( Noi Silapi, later Phraya Visukam Prasit ) design and supervise the construction of the palace. The construction began in 1902 by the end of the Fifth Reign ( 1868 – 1910 ). It was completed in 1911. H.M. King Rama VI named it Sanam Chandra Palace .

In addition, the king had another plan for this palace. It was to serve not only as a retreat, but also as a stronghold during a national crisis. Here, he regularly held practices for the Wild Tigers Corps, a para – military troop.

On December 1 st , 2003, the Committee for the Renovation of Sanarm Chandra Palace chaired by HRH Princess Bejraratana Rajasuda, H.M. King Rama VI's daughter, in collaboration with the Ministry of Interior, Mr. Navin Khantahirun; Nakhon Pathom Governor and Assistant Professor Likid Khanchanaporn, the Vice – President of Sanam Chandra Campus, Silpakorn University returned the palace including its satellite buildings to Bureau of the Royal Household following the wishes of HRH Princess Bejraratana Rajasuda. At present, to Bureau of the Royal Household has since opened the Bhimarn Prathom Residence including the Prayer Room in this residence, Samakkeemukamartaya Hall, Ganesa Shrine, Chaleemongkolasana Residence, Mareerajaratanabulung Residence, Thub Kwan Residence and Statue of Yalae, to the general public.

Visiting The Grand Palace

Calender 2008 for visiting The Grand Palace & The Emerald Buddha's Temple