2/6/2007 ~ Bangkok: Grand Palace

On the Rio: Imani Coppola ~ I'm A Tree

The Grand Palace complex was established in 1782 and was home to all royal residences and government offices until the current king.

At the entrance is the Upper Terrace.

Four main monuments are found on this terrace: a reliquary in the shape of a golden chedi; the Mondop, a repository for Buddhist sacred scriptures inscribed on palm leaves, contained within a beautiful mother-of-pearl inlaid cabinet;

a miniature Angkor Wat (temple in Cambodia); and the Royal Pantheon in which statues of past sovereigns of the ruling Chakri dynasty are enshrined.

Scattered around the terrace are various statues such as the hermit doctor

guards

magic monkeys and statues of elephants to record the famous white elephants acquired during the reigns of the various kings of Thailand (so I don't know why these are black elephants and not white ones). The current king possesses 8 white elephants - no one else in Thailand is permitted to own or keep a white elephant.
The Royal Monastery of the Emerald Buddha is one of the most venerated sites in Thailand where people convene to pay respect to the Lord Buddha and His Teachings. The Emerald Buddha is enshrined in a golden traditional Thai-style throne made of gilded-carved wood, known as a Busabok. The sacred image is clad with one of the three seasonal costumes (summer, rainy season, and winter). The costumes are changed three times a year in a ceremony presided over by His Majesty the King.

Pictures inside the Monastery are not allowed, so I tried to zoom in through the open doorway. The Emerald Buddha is in fact carved from a block of green jade and was first discovered in 1434.

Once again outside, it is traditional to sprinkle water on your head (or that of someone else) with a flower to promote happiness.

The grounds of the Royal Monastery are enclosed by galleries, the walls of which are decorated with scenes from the Ramakien - Thailand's national epic, telling stories of good triumphing over evil. This is a painting scene of the Grand Palace Grounds.