On every Sunday, and often on national holidays, people are allowed to visit the Royal Chapel and the Royal Pantheon to pay tribute to the Buddha and the images of the past Kings Foreigners who wish to visit the Grand Palace for sight-seeing must obtain permission from the Royal Household office, who is in charge of the place.
CoMPLETE Essay
Foreigners who come to Bangkok will never fail to visit in their sight-seeing the Grand Palace, which is most well-known for its magnificence and splendour unparalleled by any other place in the East. The Grand Palace stands on the Rajdamnern Avenue near the bank of the Chao Phya. In front of the Palace is the row of build- ings which is known as the Ministry of Defence, while at the back is the Royal Landing called"Ta Rajvoradit". On its right it adjoins a big monastery known as Wat Pra Chetupon, and on its left the famous Pra Meru Ground, a round spacious grass field lined at intervals with tamarind-trees,
If we approach the Grand Palace from Pan Pibhop bridge, we shall see the graceful golden spires of the Prangs, Chedis, and Prasads, shining in full splendour over the high white wall that surrounds the vast compound of the Palace. The most beautiful part of the Palace is, of course, the Royal Chapel or Wat Pra Kaeo, which lies within its premises.
If we enter the Royal Chapel through the outer gate, called Swasdi Sopa, facing the Ministry of Defence, the first things that greet our eyes in the very front are the row of small colourful Prangs, seven in all, and next behind them, two small golden Chedis which stand on both sides of the flights of marble steps that lead up to the Royal Pan- theon, or Pra-sad Pra Teb Bi Don, the twin structure of the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, which lies a little further behind and joins back-to-back with the former. A little further back, or in front of the Temple, lies another big golden Chedi, the dazzling beauty of which can be seen in the distance.
The Royal Pantheon is a high solid building in the form of Pra-sad which has a Greek cross plan and a porch or portico in front, with the typical Siamese roof formed by many layers of sloping roofs slightly concave, which give the impression of a stepped pyramid, 233
and the finial pinnacle in the form of a small Prang, a high stepped basement with a square domical superstructure.
Unlike its twin building, the Temple is in the form of a Mondop,a square planned cubical struture with a range of pillars each of highly elaborated capital, around it,- and the superstructure of which is a curved pyramidal mass, formed by many low domical roofs Each layer of roof is decorated with the universal ornament called "Song Ban Taleng'', and just under the roof around the Temple hang at intervals a number of tiny golden Bo leaves that keep tinkling sweetly with the wind.
The other Pra-sads in the Palace worth mentioned are the Chakri Maha Pra-sad and Dusit Maha Pra-sad, The first one is a long three storeyed building all in a modern style except the roof, with three projected parts, one in the middle and two at both wings, over each of which is a graceful, slender.crown-like pinnacle in natural bronze colour. The second one is a high four-porticoed building with superimposed roofs covered with glazed coloured tiles, from the centre of which rises a slender, lofty, crown-like pinnacle, also in natural bronze colour as those of the first one.
In the Temple of the Royal Chapel, we shall see the most sacred Emerald Buddha enshrined on a gilded many-tiered throne or"Bu sabok" of gorgeous beauty; and in the Royal Pantheon, the bright Dynasty hile in each of the other Pra-sads, gilded throne and white nine-tiered umbrella. Besides, what are remarkable in all pJa these are the exquisite mural paintings; the gilded, star-studded ceilings; and the elaborated door and window panels, beautifully cared and decorated with gold and with lacquer work called"Lai Rot Nam".
On every Sunday, and often on national holiday, people are allowed to visit the Royal Chapel and the Royal Pantheon to pay tribute to the Emerald Buddha and the images of the past Kings Foreigners who wish to visit the Grand Palace for obtain permission from the Royal Household office, who is in charge of the place.