An edifice of exquisite royalty, an evidence of enduring and intricate Thai architecture, a walk around the Grand Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha is indeed worthwhile.
Last Saturday, I visited this famous landmark of Bangkok and truly felt “enchanted” with the magnificent structures built around me. I felt like I was brought back to the ancient times of kings and queens, which I only see on TV or read in my fairytale books. Growing in the Philippines where there is an absence of monarchy, I had a hard time believing those things were real. Well, standing on royal ground itself made me feel like a princess J.
Royal residence for over a hundred years
The Grand Palace was built in 1782 to be the residence of king for over a hundred years. However, accordingly, nowadays it is only used for important ceremonial occasions like coronations.
The temple of the Emerald Buddha on the other hand houses a great treasure of the Thai people, an image of Buddha carved out of big block of green jade. Legend has it that the monk who found it in 1434 thought it was an emerald, as it was covered with plaster, which eventually flaked off revealing a green stone, hence the name Emerald Buddha. Later however, it was found out that the stone was jade. This image is dressed and is changed three times a year in a ceremony presided by the king himself.
Mondop, a repository of sacred Buddhist scriptures
a closer look at the intricate details of Thai architecture
I bet this is one of Thai’s pride and indeed reflect their creative craftsmanship, sense of elegance and high respect for the royal family.
