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Come touch the past splendour
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The Banquet Building
Tourists visiting Lop Buri Province, an old town featuring several interesting ancient monuments, should not miss its major tourist attractions such as Narai Ratchaniwet Palace, Phra Prang Sam Yot, Wat Phra Sri Rattana Mahathat, and Phra Kan Shrine. In this issue, Thaiways introduces to you Narai Ratchaniwet Palace (King Narai's Palace), one of the famous historical attractions of Lop Buri Province (153 km from Bangkok). This palace (344 years old) is held significant as Lop Buri, then known as Lawo, was the second capital after Ayutthaya in the central region at that time.
Outside the palace wall of
Narai Ratchaniwet |
King Narai the Great (reigning 1657-1688 in the Ayutthaya Period) considered that Ayutthaya was not in a suitable location as it was too close to a large river and not far from its estuary making it an easy target for invaders. So, the king had another palace built at Lop Buri in 1665.
A statue of King Narai the Great enshrined
in Dusit Sawan Thanya Maha Prasat Throne Hall
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Lop Buri then featured forests, mountains and wild animals which made the king love to stay there most of the time. Consequently, the city became well developed in several aspects like the economy, politics, culture and religion.
An entrance to Narai Ratchaniwet Palace |
Even though this 43-rai (around 17 acres) royal residence was designed by French architects, it presents a combination of Thai and European art styles. The palace was built facing the town with its rear close to the Lop Buri River. The city wall was constructed with plaster-covered bricks. On the top of the wall, heart-shaped stones were placed. The inside part of it has thousands of niches for placing lanterns in to light up the palace at night. There are 11 doorways altogether. Each has a pointed top, a four-sided roof and gable with plaster designs evolved from lotuses. In the Rattanakosin Period, King Rama IV (reigning 1851-1868) had this palace renovated in 1856 to make it an alternate inner capital and named it "Phra Narai Ratchaniwet". The palace thus consists of two sets of constructions as follows:
Chanthara Phisan Throne Hall |
Constructions in the reign of King Narai (since 1665)
Chanthara Phisan Throne Hall It is used to be a place for the king to administer official affairs and to hold privy council conferences. This building has authentic Thai architecture. At the front, there is a royal porch for the king to grant audiences to the noblemen. After King Narai's death in 1688, this throne hall was deserted. It was not until King Rama IV's reign that the palace was renovated. Today the palace is used as an exhibition room to extol King Narai and showcase art objects of the Ayutthaya and the Rattanakosin periods.
Inside the Dusit Sawan
Thanya Maha Prasat Throne Hall |
Dusit Sawan Thanya Maha Prasat Throne Hall This was a place for King Narai to receive foreign diplomatic corps. One outstanding group was a French one led by Chevalier de Chaumont in 1685. This building reveals a blend of French and Thai architectural styles with a multi-tiered roof. The front part was a royal hall highlighting French art while the rear part, that of Thai, highlighting doors and windows in a Thai-style arch.
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A bas relief inside Dusit Sawan thanya
Maha Prasat Throne Hall |
A chronicle of a French diplomat described this throne hall as "having walls decorated with mirrors imported from France and a ceiling with four squares decorated with beautiful golden-flower patterns and crystals from China."
Suttha Sawan Throne Hall This was King Narai's private residence. It was a European-style building with glazed yellow tiles roof. A memo of the French mentioned that "...This throne hall was set amidst a shady royal garden. The king grew various kinds of plants himself. The roof was covered with yellow tiles. At the four corners of the throne hall, there were four large ponds (one at each corner) in which the king bathed...". King Narai passed away at this throne hall on 11 July 1688. Nowadays, only ruins of its base are left.
The Banquet Building From the chronicle of the French, at that time, this compact one-storey construction was situated in the middle of the royal garden. Outside the building on three sides was a U-shaped moat. In the moat, there were twenty fountains scattered at an equal distance from one another. King Narai held receptions for the French diplomatic corps in 1685 and 1687 here.
Phra Chao Hao Building This building was in Thai style. It is presumed to be the palace's worshipping room housing a principal Buddha image named "Phra Chao Hao". Arches of doors and windows were decorated with delicate patterns. The wall enclosing this building has niches for placing lanterns inside. Today, only the walls remain.
Treasury Building or Phra Khlang Suppharat was a group of 12 structures arranged orderly in two rows with a path running down the middle. It was assumed to be a royal treasury keeping goods or some royal properties such as clothes, sabres, and elephant tusks.
Phra Chao Hao Building |
Water Tank King Narai ordered French engineers and Italian missionaries to set a piping water system. This was to utilize water from Huai Sap Lek, a large reservoir to the east of Lop Buri town, for the palace and Lop Buri town. The building was made of bricks with especially high walls. An earthen pipe was buried in the ground to distribute water to buildings in the palace.
Phiman Mongkut Group of
Throne Halls |
Royal Elephant Shelters These buildings were where the royal elephants were kept. Most of them are in ruins, only the base of about 10 shelters are left.
Constructions in the reign of King Rama IV (since 1862)
Phiman Mongkut Group of Throne Halls King Rama IV had this cluster built in 1862. It consists of four throne halls, viz. Akson Sattrakhom (the reading room), Chaiya Sattrakon (the weapon room), Wisutthi Winitchai (the royal hall) and Phiman Mongkut (the private royal sector).
Thim Dap These are houses for soldiers standing guard situated at both sides of the entrance to the inner royal sector.
Treasury Building |
Phra Pra Thiap Group of Buildings Situated behind the Phiman Mongkut Throne Hall, this cluster of constructions comprises 2 single-storey buildings and 8 two-storey buildings. They were residences for the queen and consorts of King Rama IV. At present, it exhibits models of the traditional Thai lifestyle of people in the central region.
Water Tank |
Location: Narai Ratchaniwet Palace is now King Narai's National Museum. It is situated on Sorasak Road, Tha Hin District in Lop Buri provincial town.
Opening Hours: Wednesday-Sunday, 08.30-16.00 hrs. Closed on Monday, Tuesday and national holidays.
Admission: Thais 10 baht / Foreigners 30 baht
(The admission is subject to change without notice.) |
• For more information, please contact the Tourism Authority of Thailand (Lop Buri Office) on tel: 0 3642 2768 to 9
• Special thanks to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (Lop Buri Office) for arranging a trip to Lop Buri. |
