Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [82]
Lak Meuang (City Pillar)
Serving as the spiritual keystone of Bangkok, Lak Meuang (Map; cnr Th Ratchadamnoen Nai & Th Lak Meuang; admission free; 6.30am-6.30pm; bus 506, 507, river ferry Tha Chang) is a phallus-shaped wooden pillar erected by Rama I during the founding of the new capital city in 1782. Today the structure shimmers with gold leaf and is housed in a white cruciform sanctuary. Part of an animistic tradition, the pillar embodies the city’s guardian spirit (Phra Sayam Thewathirat) and also lends a practical purpose as a marker of the town’s crossroads and measuring point for distances between towns.
The pillar was once one of a pair. Its taller counterpart, carved from chai·yá·préuk (tree of victory; laburnum wood), was cut down in effigy following the Burmese sacking of Ayuthaya during 1767. Through a series of Buddhist-animist rituals, it is believed that the felling of the tree empowered the Thais to defeat the Burmese in battle. Thus it was considered an especially talismanic choice to mark the founding of the new royal capital. Two metres of the pillar’s 4.7m total length are buried in the ground.
If you’re lucky, a lá·kon gâa bon (commissioned dance) may be in progress. Brilliantly costumed dancers measure out subtle movements as thanks to the guardian spirit for granting a worshipper’s wish.
Sanam Luang
The royal district’s green area is Sanam Luang (Royal Field; Map; bordered by Th Na Phra That, Th Na Phra Lan, Th Ratchadamnoen Nai, Th Somdet Phra Pin Klao; admission free; 6am-8pm; bus 30, 32, 47, 53, river ferry Tha Chang), which introduces itself to most visitors as a dusty impediment to Wat Phra Kaew and other attractions. The park’s more appealing attributes are expressed during its duties as a site for the annual Ploughing Ceremony, in which the king officially initiates the rice-growing season. A large kite competition is also held here during the kite-flying season (mid-February to April). Most recently, the park was the setting for the elaborate cremation ceremony of Princess Galayani Vadhana, the king’s older sister. On a daily basis Sanam Luang is home to a large number of Bangkok’s homeless population, as well as, at night, streetwalking prostitutes.
National Gallery
The humble National Gallery (Map; 0 2282 2639; Th Chao Fa; admission 200B; 9am-4pm Wed-Sun; river ferry Tha Phra Athit) belies the country’s impressive tradition of fine arts. Decorating the walls of this early Ratanakosin-era building are works of contemporary art, mostly by artists who receive government support. The permanent exhibition is rather dated and dusty, but the temporary exhibitions, held in spacious halls out back, can be good.
BANGLAMPHU
Although slightly less grand than its neighbour, Banglamphu’s sights are a window into the Bangkok of yesterday, a city that’s largely starting to disappear.
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TEMPLE MURALS
Because of the relative wealth of Bangkok, as well as its role as the country’s artistic and cultural centre, the artists commissioned to paint the walls of the city’s various temples were among the most talented around, and Bangkok’s temple paintings are regarded as the finest in Thailand. Some particularly exceptional works:
Wat Bowonniwet (Click here) Painted by an artist called In Kong during the reign of Rama II, the murals in the panels of the ubosot (chapel) of this temple show Thai depictions of Western life (possibly copied from magazine illustrations) during the early 19th century.
Wat Chong Nonsi (Map; Th Nonsi, off Th Phra Ram III; 8am-6pm; access by taxi from Metro Khlong Toei) Dating back to the late Ayuthaya period, Bangkok’s earliest surviving temple paintings are faded and missing in parts, but the depictions of everyday