Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(the layered, heavily ornamented spire)
,
in the centre, contains the ashes of Chakri kings;
the flanking
mon·dòp
enshrine the ashes of the many Chakri princes who failed to inherit
the throne.
The last building to the west is the Ratanakosin-style
Dusit Hall
, which initially served as
a venue for royal audiences and, later, as a royal funerary hall.
Until Rama VI decided one wife was enough for any man, even a king, Thai kings
housed their huge harems in the inner palace area (not open to the public), which was
guarded by combat-trained female sentries. The intrigue and rituals that occurred within
the walls of this cloistered community live on in the fictionalised epic
Four Reigns,
by
Kukrit Pramoj, which follows a young girl named Phloi growing up within the Royal City.
