Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Because of its royal status, the Emerald Buddha is ceremoniously draped in monastic
robes. There are now three royal robes (for the hot, rainy and cool seasons), which are still
solemnly changed at the beginning of each season. This duty has traditionally been per-
formed by the king, though in recent years the crown prince has presided over the cere-
mony.
THE TRAVELS OF THE EMERALD BUDDHA
Some time in the 15th century, the Emerald Buddha is said to have been covered with plaster and gold leaf and
placed in Chiang Rai's own Wat Phra Kaew. Many valuable Buddha images were masked in this way to deter po-
tential thieves and marauders during unstable times. Often the true identity of the image was forgotten over the
years until a 'divine accident' exposed its precious core. The Emerald Buddha experienced such a divine revela-
tion while it was being transported to a new location. In a fall, the plaster covering broke off, revealing the brilli-
ant green inside. But while this was seen as a divine revelation, the return of the Phra Kaew would prove anything
but peaceful for the people of Siam and Laos.
During territorial clashes with Laos, the Emerald Buddha was seized and taken to Vientiane in the mid-16th
century. Some 200 years later, after the fall of Ayuthaya and the ascension of the Bangkok-based kingdom, the
Thai army marched up to Vientiane, razed the city and hauled off the Emerald Buddha. The Buddha was en-
shrined in the then capital, Thonburi, before the general who led the sacking of Vientiane assumed the throne and
had it moved to its current location.
Grand Palace
Adjoining Wat Phra Kaew is the Grand Palace (Phra Borom Maharatchawang), a former
royal residence that is today only used on ceremonial occasions. Visitors are allowed to
survey the Grand Palace grounds and four of the remaining palace buildings, which are in-
teresting for their royal bombast.
At the eastern end,
Borombhiman Hall
is a French-inspired structure that served as a resid-
ence for Rama VI (King Vajiravudh; r 1910-25). Today it can only be viewed through its
iron gates, but in April 1981 General San Chitpatima used it as the headquarters for an at-
tempted coup.
Amarindra Hall
, to the west, was originally a hall of justice but is used (very
rarely indeed) for coronation ceremonies; the golden, boat-shaped throne looks consider-
ably more ornate than comfortable.
The largest of the palace buildings is the triple-winged
Chakri Mahaprasat
(Grand Palace
Hall). Completed in 1882 following a plan by British architects, the exterior shows a pe-
culiar blend of Italian Renaissance and Thai architecture. It is believed the original plan
called for the palace to be topped with a dome, but Rama V (King Chulalongkorn; r
1868-1910) was persuaded to go for a Thai-style roof instead. The tallest of the
mon·dòp
