Bangkok (Lonely Planet) - Andrew Burke [48]
The other parts of the museum aren’t as well presented, but this might be part of the charm. Dimly lit rooms, ranging in temperature from lukewarm to boiling, offer an attic-like collection of Thai art and handicrafts.
In the central exhibits hall, there are collections of traditional musical instruments from Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Indonesia, as well as ceramics, clothing and textiles, woodcarving, royal regalia, and Chinese art and weaponry. The art and artefact buildings cover every Southeast Asian art period and style, from Dvaravati to Ratanakosin. The collection is impressive but hard to digest due to poor signage and sheer volume.
The museum grounds also contain the restored Phutthaisawan (Buddhaisawan) Chapel. Inside the chapel (built in 1795) are some well-preserved original murals and one of the country’s most revered Buddha images, Phra Phuttha Sihing. Legend claims the image came from Ceylon (legend claims a lot of Buddha images came from Ceylon), but art historians attribute it to the 13th-century Sukhothai period.
While the museum isn’t nearly as dynamic as the new Museum of Siam (left), it does run (highly recommended) free tours in English and French on Wednesday and Thursday, Japanese on Wednesday and German on Thursday. All tours start from the ticket pavilion at 9.30am.
SANAM LUANG
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bounded by Th Na Phra That, Ratchadamnoen Nai & Na Phra Lan; air-con 503, 508 & 511, ordinary 15, 47, 53 & 60; Tha Chang (N9)
On a hot day, Sanam Luang (Royal Field) is far from charming – a shadeless expanse of dying grass and concrete pavement ringed by flocks of pigeons and homeless people. Despite its shabby appearance, it has been at the centre of both royal ceremony and political upheaval since Bangkok was founded. Indeed, many of the colour-coded protests you’ve probably seen on TV in recent years have been held here.
Less dramatic events staged here include the annual Royal Ploughing Ceremony, in which the king (or more recently the crown prince) officially initiates the rice-growing season; an appropriate location given Sanam Luang was used to grow rice for almost 100 years after the royals moved into Ko Ratanakosin. After the rains, the kite-flying season (mid-February to April) sees the air above filled with butterfly-shaped Thai kites. Matches are held between teams flying either a ‘male’ or ‘female’ kite in a particular territory; points are won if they can force a competitor into their zone.
Large funeral pyres are constructed here during elaborate, but infrequent, royal cremations, and explain the field’s alternate name, Thung Phra Men (Cremation Ground). The most recent cremation was a six-day, 300 million baht ceremony for King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s sister, Princess Galyani Vadhana in November 2009; it took 11 months to prepare.
In a way the park is suffering a career crisis, having lost most of its full-time employment to other locales or the whims of fashion. Until 1982 Bangkok’s famous Weekend Market was regularly held here (it’s now at Chatuchak Park; see Click here). Previously the wealthy came here for imported leisure sports; these days they head for the country club. Today the cool mornings and evenings still attract a health-conscious crowd of joggers, walkers and groups playing đà·grôr. If you fancy a big-crowd experience, Sanam Luang draws the masses – and the King – in December for the King’s Birthday (5 December), Constitution Day (10 December) and New Year.
Across Th Ratchadamnoen Nai to the east is the statue of Mae Thorani, the earth goddess (borrowed from Hindu mythology’s Dharani), which stands in a white pavilion. Erected in the late 19th century by Rama V, the statue was originally attached to a well that provided drinking water to the public.
SARANROM ROYAL GARDEN
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bounded by Th Ratchini, Charoen Krung & Sanam Chai; 5am-9pm; air-con 503 & 508, ordinary