Wat Phra Kaew & Grand Palace in Bangkok.

Also called the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Wat Phra Kaew is an architectural wonder of gleaming, gilded chedi (stupas) seemingly buoyed above the ground, polished orange-and-green roof tiles piercing the humid sky, mosaic-encrusted pillars...
By: frederic
 
Jan. 11, 2011 - PRLog -- The highly stylised omamentation is a shrine to the much revered Emerald Buddha. Such a sacred site is bestowed with a fittingly official name -Wat Phra Si Ratana Satsadaram. It adjoins the former residence of the monarch, the Grand Palace .For more informations about wat : http://www.booking-thailand.net.
This ground was consecrated in 1782, the first year of Bangkok ride. The.945,000-sq-metre grounds encompass more than 100 buildings that represent 200 years of royal history and architectural experimentation. Most of the architecture, royal or sacred, can be classified Ratanakosin (or old-Bangkok style), with lots of minor variations.
Extensive murals depicting scenes from the Ramakian (the Thai version of the Indian epic Ramayana) line the inside walls of the compound. Originally painted during the reign of Rama I (1782-1809), the murals have undergone several restorations, including a major one finished in time for the 1982 Ratanakosin bicentennial. The murals illustrate the epic in its entirety, beginning at the north gate and moving clockwise around the compound.
Except for an anteroom here and there, the Grand Palace (Phra Borom Maharatchawang) is today used by the king for only certain ceremonial occasions such as Coronation Day and is closed to the public; the king' s current residence is Chitlada Palace in the northem part of the city. The exteriors of the four buildings are worth a swift perusal for their royal bombast. The intrigue and rituals that occurred within the watts of this once cloistèred community are relatively silent to the modern visitor. A fictionalised version is told in the trilogy Four Reigns, by Kukrit Pramoj, which tells the story of a young girl named Ploi, growing up in the Royal City.
Borombhlman Hall (eastern end), a French-inspired structure that served as a residence for Rama VI, is occasionally used to house visiting foreign dignitaries. In April 1981 General San Chitpatima used it as headquarters for an attempted coup. The building to the west is Amarindra Hall, originally a hall of justice but used today for coronation ceremonies.
The largest of the palace buildings is the Chakri Mahaprasat, literaily 'Great Hall of Chakri' but usually translated as 'Grand Palace Hall'. Built in 1882 by British architecte using Thai labour, the exterior shows a peculiar blend of Italian Renaissance and traditional Thai architecture. This is a style often referred to as faràng sài chd-daa (Westerner in a Thai crown) because each wing is topped by a mondai) — a heavily ornamented spire representing a Thai adapta¬tion of the Hindu mandapa (shrine). The tallest of the mondàp, in the centre, contains the ashes of Chakri kings; the flanking mondàp enshrine the ashes of Chakri princes. Thai kings traditionally housed their huge harems in the inner palace area, which was guarded by combat-trained female sentries.
Last, from east to west, is the Ratanakosin style Dusit Hall, which initially served as a venue for royal audiences and later as a royal funerary hall.
The admission fee includes entry to the Royal Thai Decorations & Coins Pavilion (on the same grounds) and to both Vimanmek (billed as 'the world' s largest golden-teak mansion') and Abhisek Dusit Throne Hall, near the Dusit Zoo (both are covered later in titis chapter). A two-hour, self-guided audiocassette tour is available for 100B. Real live guides depart roughly every half-hour.
Since wât are sacred places to Thai Buddhists, titis one particularly so because of its royal associations, visitors should dress and behave decently. If you wear shorts or a sleeveless shirt you may be refused admis¬sion; sarongs and baggy pants are often available on loan at the entry area. For walking in the courtyard areas, you must wear closed shoes — thongs aren't permitted. As at any temple compound, shoes should be removed before entering the main chapel (bat) or sanctuaries (wthefan).
The most economical way of reaching Wat Phra Kaew and the Grand Palace is by air-con bus No 508 or 512 or ordinary bus Nos 6, 9 and 32. You can also take the Chao Phraya River Express, disembarking at Tha Chang.Please visit our website ; http://www.booking-thailand.net.

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Source:frederic
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