Bangkok Grand Palace

The best way to get to the Grand Palace

complex is across the river Chao Phraya. The palace complex and the nearby Wat Pra Kaew (Temple of Emerald Buddha) occupy a space of about 10 ha (25 acres) of flat land, which was consecrated in the eighteenth century. It is surrounded by a white wall that leaves no imagine how incredibly colorful inside. The Grand Palace itself is not the official residence of the king, is used on occasions of ceremony. The four buildings that comprise the complex are not fully open to the public, but you can admire its exterior architecture. The largest building, the Grand Palace Hall was built by British architects in the late 1880s. At first contact with Buddhism in Bangkok, could not be better to go to Wat Pra Kaew. The colors of Theravada Buddhism are red, green, orange and yellow, along with masses of gilding and gold leaf, bud and lotus patterns columns encrusted with brilliant mosaics, these colors are everywhere. The stupas are golden and the layers swooping tiled roofs of their bright orange and green. The Thai version of Ramayana story in its entirety is shown around the interior walls. The Emerald Buddha is tiny compared to many of the famous Buddha statues in Thailand, but has much meaning. Its origins are still shrouded in mystery, but was first recorded in Chiang Rai, in the fifteenth century. Invasion of Laos took him to Luang Prabang and Vientiane, but was recovered and returned to Thailand in the eighteenth century by Rama I, founder of the current Chakri dynasty. Stay on top of the temple huge, purpose-built to house it.

Hotels in Bangkok

Map of Grand Palace