13 June 2012 ~ Grand Palace Galleries

Listening to: Eric Clapton ~ Someday After Awhile (11/8/1994 Fillmore, San Francisco, CA)

The Grounds of the Royal Monastery at the Grand Palace in Bangkok are encompassed by galleries.

The walls are painted with scenes from the Ramakien, first painted during the reign of King Rama I (late 1700s).

I don't know if the scenes below are representing the order, they just happen to be the photos I liked.

The first scene of the story is the a depiction of the initial stages of the Phra Wiharn Yod war waged by Rama to rescue his wife, Sita, who had been abducted by Thotsakan, King of Longka.

Further on there are a number of other episodes from the story, including the Magician who took the sleeping Rama to the underworld and other battles.



 The detail is amazing.

The below picture I actually have from my first trip here, but I offered up a challenge to my co-travelers to see if they could find the "monkeys" playing backgammon, drinking and smoking behind the rocks and yes, one of them did just as we were about to leave!