Category Archives: Palaces

Bang Pa-In Royal Palace (Ayutthaya, Thailand)

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On our second day in Thailand, we decide to go out of the city and visit the old Thai capital of Ayutthaya, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  We made our travel arrangements with a  travel agency based near our hotel lobby at the ground floor. The 60-km. trip, via an airconditioned tourist bus, took just 1 hr.  Our first stop, upon reaching Ayutthaya, was the Bang Pa-In Royal Palace, also known as the Summer Palace.

Bang Pa-In Royal Palace

This palace complex, located along the bank of the Chao Phraya River, was originally constructed by King Prasat Thong  in 1632 but, after the sack of Ayutthaya in 1767, it lay empty and overgrown throughout the late 18th century and early 19th century.  King Mongkut (Rama IV) began to partially restore the site in the 1850s. Most of the present European-style buildings were constructed between 1872 and 1889 by King Chulalongkorn (Rama V).

Entry Promenade

Today, the palace remains largely open to visitors, as King Bhumibol Adulyadej and his family uses it only rarely for banquets and special occasions. However, as at all royal sites, proper dress was required and Grace and Cheska had to rent colored polo shirts to cover their shoulders. The grounds are not too large to be covered on foot. From the entrance, we walked along a formal entry promenade.

Ho Haem Montien Devaraj (Golden Palace of the God King)

The buildings, very European in design, are laid out along a long rectangular, artificial and ornamental lake lined with formal landscaping. The lake serves to divide the “public” outer area of the palace from the inner private areas. Along the route, we passed the Ho Haem Montien Devaraj (Golden Palace of the God King) or King Pasart Thong Shrine. This Khmer-style, stone prasat (residence of a king or god with a corncob-shaped super-structure ), under a banyan tree, was built by King Rama V in 1879 to replace an old shrine built by villagers as an offering to King Prasart Thong of the Ayutthaya period.

Saphakhan Ratchaprayun (Exhibition Hall)

On the left bank of the lake is the colonial-style, 1-storey, Neo-Classical style  Saphakhan Ratchaprayun (Exhibition Hall).  Originally built for the King’s brothers, it now houses a small museum covering the history of the palace.

Warophat Phiman (Excellent and Shining Heavenly Abode)

The one-storey Warophat Phiman (Excellent and Shining Heavenly Abode) was King Chulalongkorn’s residence and throne hall. It is richly decorated in turn-of-the-century European aristocratic style, with quirky Thai touches here and there.  Its audience chambers and anterooms are decorated with oil paintings, commissioned by King Chulalongkorn in 1888, depicting significant events in Thai history and scenes from Thai literature.  The private apartments of this building are still used by the king and his family whenever they reside in the palace.

Phra Thinang Utthayan Phumisathian (Garden of the Secured Land) Residential Hall

Opposite the lake, to the east, is the 2-storey, elaborately-constructed Phra Thinang Utthayan Phumisathian (Garden of the Secured Land) Residential Hall, considered the principal building in the palace complex.  Completed in 1877, this  building  was built from wood and decorated with mahogany furniture ordered directly from Europe. However, it was destroyed by fire during the restoration in 1938. Its modern reconstruction, tinted alternately in dark and light green, has a more “Paris Metro” Art-Deco feel to it. Its balcony is similar in design to that of a Swiss chalet. The building is still occasionally used by the royal family and is not open to the public.

Krajome Trae

At the end of the promenade, the lake took on a more natural shape and, from a circular Spanish-style pavilion (Krajome Trae), we saw the “signature piece” of Bang Pa-In, the gracefully elegant Aisawan-Dhipaya-Asana Pavilion (The Divine Seat of Personal Freedom) in the middle of the lake. The only example of classical Thai architecture within the palace, it was built by King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) in 1876 and has 4 porches and a spired roof. From Krajome Trae, we fed the fishes with pieces from a previously paid for loaf of bread.

Aisawan-Dhipaya-Asana Pavilion (The Divine Seat of Personal Freedom)

Opposite the Krajome Trae is the Devaraj-Kunlai (The God King Goes Forth) Gate, the principal entrance to the Inner Palace.  It is connected to the Varobhas Bimarn Mansion (located in the Outer Palace) by a covered bridge with a louvered wall from which the court ladies could look out without being seen themselves.

Devaraj-Kunlai (The God King Goes Forth) Gate

The highlight of our visit was the opulent, Chinese-style Phra Thinang (Royal Residence) Wehart Chamrun (Heavenly Light), the only royal residence open to the public.  Constructed in the Chinese Emperor style and made entirely of materials imported from China, it took 10 years to build and was completed in 1889.

Phra Thinang (Royal Residence) Wehart Chamrun (Heavenly Light)

It was a royal offering to King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce represented by Chinese merchant Phraya Choduk Ratchasetthi (Fak) as a token of the long-lasting brotherly relationship between the Thai and Chinese peoples. King Chulachomklao usually made a royal visit here during the cool season.

Phra Thinang – Interior

Here, we had to remove your shoes to enter.  Full of red, gold, dark woods and inlaid mother of pearl, it has a stupendous dragon sculpture inside carved from camel bone and a Chinese-style throne room at the ground floor. the upper storey houses an altar enshrining the name plates of King Mongkut and King Chulalongkorn with their respective queens.

Before returning, we climbed the 112-step spiral staircase up the 30 m. high, 3-storey and brightly painted Ho Withun Thasana (Sage’s Lookout), built in 1881, following in the footsteps of King Rama V who, when residing in Bang Pa-In Palace, used this hall as the place to get the bird’s eye view of the surrounding area. This hall was constructed in the form of a tower between Utthayan Phumisathian and Wehat Chamrun.  Only the first two floors are open to the public.

Ho Withun Thasana (The Sages Lookout)

Back at the entrance, we returned the shirts and bought some soft drinks and snacks (10-20 baht) before boarding our bus.

Bang Pa-In Palace: Bang Pa-In District, Ayutthaya, Thailand. Open daily, 8 AM-4 PM.

National Palace (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)

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The next day, after breakfast at the hotel, we were picked up at the hotel lobby for our scheduled city tour.  It surprised me how our Indian guide compressed our interesting itinerary in a nutshell. First in the itinerary was the Istana Negara (National Palace), the official residence of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King) of Malaysia.

Main Gate of the National Palace

The 11.34-hectare palace grounds are not opened to members of the public or tourists but the Main Palace Entrance is a favorite picture spot for tourists. The royal insignia of the king is placed on each steel bar between two pillars of the fence. At each side of the  main entrance are two guard box that shelter two members of the cavalry.  We were allowed to pose with a mounted royal guard in colorful full dress uniform as well as armed guard wearing the traditional samping.

Posing with a Guard Wearing the Traditional Samping

Istana Negara: Jalan Istana, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Summer Palace (Beijing, People’s Republic of China)

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From the Asian Games Panda House, we next proceeded to the Summer Palace, the largest and best-preserved imperial garden in China.  The Summer Palace, located on the western edge of Beijing, between the fourth and fifth ring roads, 12 kms. from central Beijing, was, as its name implies, used as a summer residence by China’s imperial rulers. A pleasure ground in the countryside, yet near to the city, it is virtually a museum of traditional Chinese gardening that uses rocks, plants, pavilions, ponds, cobble paths and other garden styles to create a poetic effect between different scenes.  Points of interest here are the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity and Kunming Lake.

Hall of Benevolence and Longevity

The Hall of Benevolence and Longevity, the main hall of the Summer Palace, was first built in 1750 and was then called the Hall of Industrious Government, but the building was burnt down by the Allied Anglo-French Force in 1860. The present building was reconstructed in 1890 and the name of the hall was given by Emperor Guanxu. This is the most important hail for political activities in the Palace as it was the place for Emperor Guangxu and Empress Dowager Ci’xi to handle state affairs and receive foreign envoys.

Kunming Lake

Kunming Lake, covering ¾ of the area of the Summer Palace, is the most attractive water area in Beijing. Originally, it was a natural lake formed by a number of springs in the northwestern district in Beijing. During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), people grew lotus flowers in the lake and planted rice around the lake. Its picturesque beauty was often compared with the charming scenery around the West Lake. Even the emperors were fascinated with it and made boat trips on the lake. During the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), in order to build Qingyi Garden, the Emperor Qianlong he had the lake expanded. He named it Kunming Lake in a way to praise its incomparable beauty.

Seventeen Arch Bridge

The 150 m. long and 8 m. wide Seventeen-Arch Bridge, built during the reign of Emperor Qianlong (1711-1799), is the longest bridge in the Summer Palace.  It connects the eastern shore of the lake and Nanhu Island in the west.  Nanhu Island lies southeast of Kunming Lake opposite Longevity Hill. With an area of about 1 hectare (2.47 acres), it is the largest island in the Summer Palace. When Emperor Qianlong (1711-1799) enlarged Kunming Lake, he ordered workers to save the temples and buildings but to excavate the earth; thus creating Nanhu Island.

Nanhu Island

The octagonal, 3-storied and quadruple-eaved wood-constructed Pavilion of Buddhist Fragrance (FoXiangGe) is the highest and largest grand architecture in the Summer Palace. The 40-m. high tower is built on a 20-m. high stone terrace half way up the hill – hence it seems to touch the clouds and looks graceful and beautiful. This symbol of the Summer Palace can be seen for miles around.

Pavilion of Buddhist Fragrance

A highlight of our visit here was our (Gil, Jandy, Gibson and me) photo ops dressed in complete and colorful Chinese emperor attire (RMB 10 each).  Azon, on the other hand, dressed up as a frowning concubine.  She did the same thing again at Kunming Lake, this time smiling. Our visit to the Summer Palace capped our day.

Azon Dressed as a Chinese Princess or Concubine

Grand Palace and Wat Phra (Bangkok, Thailand)

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We were now on my fourth and last day in Bangkok, with my whole morning free prior to my evening return to Manila, I decided to go at it alone, taking a tuktuk (the Thai equivalent of our tricycle) to get to the fabulous Grand Palace (Phra Borom Maha Ratcha Wang) and its adjoining Wat Phra Kaew. I just brought along my camera and portable tripod. Incidentally, today was also the Songkran Festival, the Thai New Year.

Grand Palace Complex

This complex of buildings is just walking distance from the previously visited Wat Pho and sits on the east bank of the Chao Phraya River. It being a holiday, many Thais were in the temple to pray and give food to monks.  Many were also cleansingBuddha images by gently pouring water mixed with a Thai fragrance over them (believed to bring good luck and prosperity for the New Year).

Wat Phra Kaew

Despite being in one compound, the Golden Palace and Wat Phra Kaew have a distinct difference in architectural style, except for the traditional Thai roof.   Except for the Wat Phra Kaew (I had to remove my shoes before entering), the interiors of most of the buildings remain closed to the public.

Wat Phra Kaew - Porch

Wat Phra Kaew (Chapel Royal of the Emerald Buddha), Thailand’s most important temple, houses the small (45 cm. tall), beautiful, gold-clothed and greatly revered Emerald Buddha, carved from a block of green jade (instead of emerald) and said to have been created in India in 43 BC. I wasn’t allowed to take pictures inside.

The Galleries

The temple’s grounds are enclosed by galleries with beautiful, vivid and colorful murals which depict the story of the  Indian epic Ramayama (Ramakien in Thai) of the first reign version.  The European-inspired Grand Palace, the official residence of the king of Thailand from the 18th century to the mid-20th century, is nowadays used only for occasional ceremonial purposes.

Chakri Maha Prasat Hall

It has 2 groups of residences: the Dusit Maha Prasat (built in a style influenced by the Italian Renaissance, it has a spacious, European-style reception room decorated with galleries of portraiture) and the Phra Maha Monthian (consists of the Amarin Winitchai Audience Hall and the Paisal Taksin Hall where coronations take place).

Amarin Winitchai Audience Hall

Construction of the palace complex began in 1782, during the reign of Rama I.  After the death of King Ananda Mahidolin the Baromphiman Palace, the much-revered King Bhumibol (Rama IX), the present king, moved the official royal residence to Chitralada Palace (closed to tourists).

Viseschaisri Gate

My Grand Palace tour should have included Vimanmek Mansion along Rajavithee Road, also a former royal residence.  The biggest wooden building made from golden teak in the world, it was built by King Chulalongkorn (of the “King and I” fame).  Regrettably, I had to forego this visit as it was time to go and pack for home.

Don Muang International Airport

I returned to the hotel, joined the others in checking out of the hotel and left, via coach, for Don Muang International Airport, arriving there by noon.  By 2:30 PM, we left Bangkok on a Thai Airways International flight (TG-624) back to Manila.

Golden Palace: Na Phra Lan Road, Bangkok, Thailand.