Page 212 - DK Eyewitness Travel Guides - The World's Must-See Places

Grand Palace and Wat Phra
210 ASIA

Kaeo,Bangkok
tAOS ")
• Choang Ma;
This remarkable site was built in the late 18th century to
• Kllon ~<a~~
mark the founding of the new capital, to provide a resting
THAILAND
place for the sacred Emerald Buddha, and a residence for
CAM8001A-) the king. Surrounded by 1. 2 miles (1. 9 km) of walls, the
t: l.lliA ..
complex was once a self-sufficient city within a city. The
GIJLI OF Thai royal family now lives in Dusit, but Wat Phra Kaeo
THAILAf/10
(shown here), a subcomplex within the Grand Palace
AN DAMAN
SEA
complex, is still Thailand's holiest temple and a stunning
piece of Buddhist architecture (Buddhist Style, see p.209).
THE EMERALD BUDDHA
In 1434, lightning struck Wat Phra Kaeo temple GRAND PALACE AND W AT PHRA KAEO Temple Slcyline
in Chiang Rai and cracked it open, re vealing a 1 Entrance Sanam Luang provides a fine
view of the decorative spires of
simple stucco image that encased a jadeite 2 Wat Phra l<aeo complex Wat Phra Kaeo.
3 Duslt Throne H all
image the Emerald Buddha. Chiang Mai's king 4 Aphonphimok Pavilion
sent an army of elepha nts to bring the image 5 Chakrl Throne H all
to him, but as the animal bearing it re fused to 6 Inner P alace Emerald Buddha
7 Phra Maha Monthien buildings Displayed in the bot,
take the road to C hia ng Mai, it was ens hrined 8 Stwalal Gardens the buddha is carved from
at Lampang. After several moves, the Buddha 9 Rama IV Chapel a single piece of jade.
was taken to Laos in 15 52, where it remained 1 0 Boromphiman Mansion
11 Audience Chamber
until King Rama I brought it back to T hailand in
1778.1t was kept in Wat Arun before being KN __ ~-----------­
~ra
Kaeo complex
moved to its current resting place in 1785.
Buildings
THE RAMAKIEN
The Ramakien is an allegory of the tr1umph of
good over evil Rama, he1r to the throne of Hor Phra
Raj phongsanusorn
Ayod~a, is sent into a 14-year exile wrth his
wife Sita and brother Lakshman Tosakan, the ~ Bot of the Emerald Buddha
The bot is the most important
demon-kmg of Longka, abducts Srta from building in Wat Phra Kaeo.
the forest Hanuman, the monkey god, helps
rescue S ita and defeat T osakan, and Rama
returns triumphantly to Ayodhya. This epic tale
was probably established a fter the Thais took
Angkor in the 15th century. All the C hakri
kings adopted Ram a as one of their names,
and the 14th-century kingdom of Ayutthaya
was named after the fictional Ayodhya. The
legend has also been a great ins piration for
Thai painting, classical dra ma, and puppetry.

EXPLORING WAT PHRA KAEO
When Ram a I establis hed his new capital, he Eightprangs
envisioned a temple that would surpass its border the east
side of the wat
Sukhothai and Ayutthaya predecessors The
result was the splendid Wat Phra Kaeo. The Chapel of the
Gandhara Buddha
bot houses the surpnsingly small1mage of the
Emerald Buddha, seated 1n a glass case h1gh
above a g1lded altar OppoSite, the Upper
terrace has several structures, the most striking ~ Ramakien Gallery
Extending dod(wise all the way
of which is the Phra Si Rattana Chedi, built around the cloisters are 178
by King Mongkut (Rama IV) 1n 1855 to house panels depicting the complete
sacred Buddha rel1cs. The aqacent Phra story of the Ramakien.
Mondop was initially used as a library. Its KEY DATES
exterior has Javanese B uddha 1mages on the
four outer corners. T o its north IS a model of 1783 1809 1932 1982
Cambodia's Angkor Wat On the Northern 11\brk begins on Wat Rama II remodels The Chakrl dynasty's The Grand Palace
terrace, the Ho Phra Nak enshrines the ashes Phra Kaeo, Dusit the building and 1 50th year in power and Wat Phra Kaeo
Throne Hall, and Phra introduces new Is celebrated at are restored.
of minor royals, while the Wihan Yot contains
Maha Monthien. Chinese details. the Grand Palace.
the Nak Buddha rescued from Ayutthaya.